Rex
by Fantacy
Summary: The first story of my TMNT saga. A mysterious thief had made several robberies from the antique stores in New York and the turtles spend the night at April's store to protect her from harm. A story about danger, family, friendship and love.
1. An uninvited guest

A/N: Hey guys. I don't own the TMNT characters but I'm a big fan of them nonetheless. This is my first time writing on TMNT and it is my first translation from my Danish TMNT story. I have done my best to translate but it is difficult and it takes time because I'm not used to write in English. The story is the beginning of my TMNT saga and I want to share my visions with your guys who love the turtles as much as I do. I like to think I know Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo's characters pretty well. My story takes place almost after the ending of second season of the new cartoon. Enjoy!

"My sons, Ninjitsu is the art of cunning and it represents all the techniques which the ninja makes use of," master Splinter explained seriously. "This is the reason why you must learn the way of balance."

"Sorry, Sensei," Michelangelo interrupted confused. "I know that you have explained it to us before, but what is the way of balance?"

"Have you forgotten shell brain?" Raphael commented and smiled widely. "It doesn't surprise me!"

"I haven't forgotten," Michelangelo protested offended. "I just can't remember it."

Splinter shook resignedly his head and smiled indulgently towards his students. They had still much to learn about the art of Ninjitsu. The old rat rose from his seat and his students followed him until he stopped in front of some bamboo canes, which he had placed the same morning. Michelangelo heaved a sigh but he knew as the others did that they had to train without any complains.

"Get up!" Splinter commanded softly and jumped on the nearest cane.

It was an easy matter to keep their balance. They had learned the lesson from the childhood by Splinter, who was a Ninjitsu master, and he had trained his students for sixteen years. Splinter didn't regard them only as his students, they were also his sons and he loved them very much. It seemed like yesterday when he found the four baby turtles in the sewers of New York.

The green ooze on their bodies had changed their lives forever, and Splinter had never regretted it. At that time, he was a little rat, but the ooze made him bigger and wiser. He had soon realized that the world above would never accept them because they were different from the humans. For that reason, he had tried to keep his sons in the sewers as long as he could.

The baby turtles had grown as time went by and even though they were very much alike, they had both inner and outer differences. He had named his sons from a book about renaissance painters.

Leonardo was the big brother and the leader of the small team. His skin had a light green colour. When he was a child, he had chosen the blue bandana around his head and the blue ribbons on his katanas. Master Splinter had carefully chosen these swords for him because the awe-inspiring blades were suited for his sharp brain and determent will. He was indeed the most conscientious and serious of his sons. He was unselfish and would do anything in the world to protect his family. Splinter admired his courage and his discipline. He observed his ninja training and enjoyed the training lessons with his Sensei and his brothers.

Raphael had already climbed to the top of the canes and he looked impatiently at his brothers. Splinter knew his sons well and he cared for them in every way. Nevertheless, he was worried that Raphael still had so much anger in his mind. His deep dark green colour and his red bandana suited him well for his dark humour and temper. His weapons were a pair of flashing sais, which he had decorated with red ribbons. Raphael was the most confident turtle in the team but he was also the person who was pessimistic most of the time. He practiced the martial art for his own pleasure, and he wasn't the type to run away from a fight. Splinter also knew a curtain thing about his short-tempered son. Raphael liked his brothers more than he showed them.

Donatello skin was a light lime green colour and he was the inventor in the small family and peaceable by nature. Splinter had with care chosen the bo staff for the genius turtles because it was an inspiring and solid weapon. Donatello had no doubt in his mind as a child that he would have the purple bandana and the purple ribbon in the middle of his new staff. Donatello was very intelligent and he had always had a solution to most of the problems, which they had encountered in their lives. He was brave but he would rather avoid a fight if it were possible. He spent most of his time in his workshop and laboratory, which were his most cherished possessions.

Michelangelo was the one of the four brothers who had a problem with the focus on his training because he was so easily distracted by other things. He had a dark blue green colour and he was the funny turtle in the group. He loved to have fun and he had a huge amount of knowledge about TV and comics. He had decorated his nunchakus with orange ribbons. The weapons were perfect because of Michelangelo's personality. He was a kind of a braggart, cheerful and he loved to tell jokes all the time. Master Splinter only wished that his son would pay more attention to his training lessons. He was the best athlete of them all but he could sometimes be lost in thought when Splinter trained his students.

"We have been through this lesson before," Splinter reminded them patiently. "The way of balance is the way of invisibility."

"Oh, I remember it now," Michelangelo interrupted enthusiastically. "How could I forget it?"

"Do I really have to answer? Raphael asked and gave his brother a tap on the head. "Idiot. I'm surprised that you have been able to learn how to walk."

"Raphael, quiet!" ordered Master Splinter sharply and clapped his hands, so the light went out. Suddenly the cave was in total darkness. "A ninja must practice his techniques all the time so he can carry them out with speed and precision. It requires both if you want to avoid my cane."

With these words, the exercise started and it wasn't an easy task. Leonardo concentrated his senses and moved away from the cane when Master Splinter turned it against him. It was very difficult to move on the bamboo canes because they weren't particularly steady and their Sensei wasn't the rat who would make it easy for his students. Leonardo smiled and backed quickly as Donatello almost hit him when he made an attempt to get away from Splinter's cane.

Their Sensei was incredible fast and it was getting harder to avoid the cane when Splinter swung it towards them. Raphael cursed in a low voice when he placed his foot in the air and began to fall. He swung his arm and took hold of the nearest bamboo cane with his three fingers.

It lasted only a few seconds before he got up but he jumped immediately to the side so the cane wouldn't hit him. Michelangelo smiled when he recalled the first time they had tried the exercise in their new home where he had clapped with his hands in the dark, so Master Splinter became visible. Unfortunately, he didn't get many points for his ingenuity and he didn't think that he could fool Master Splinter with the same trick twice. He was a cunning rat but it shouldn't prevent Michelangelo from trying to get the cane from the Sensei's hands. He gasped and jumped quickly away from the cane where he had balanced a moment ago. Master Splinter was after him and he had to make a daring manoeuvre so he could escape from the old rat.

It was difficult because he had been trapped in a corner. He could feel where his brothers were but he didn't have the time to concentrate on them. Splinter swung his cane hard against his side and Michelangelo leaped over the rat while he could feel the cane graze him. He took hold of some of the bamboo canes and stood straight in the air. Splinter turned around with lightning speed and aimed a blow at his hands. Michelangelo saw it coming and bend his arms with a flexible movement so he gathered enough strength to land on his feet without being harmed by the cane.

He hurried along the bamboo canes and Master Splinter drew his attention back to his brothers who wouldn't be in the safe zone for long. Michelangelo felt relief that he had gotten away from his Sensei unharmed but he knew that he had to find a solution to take the cane from him. Unfortunately, he never got any further in his thoughts.

"Hey guys, why is it so dark inhere?" yelled a voice confused in the cave.

Leonardo stopped short as he was struck by lightning and he glanced at Casey Jones who was walking right in the cave without looking where he went. They had given him admission to the cave a long time ago, so he could call them if something happened on the surface. At this time, Leonardo regretted the decision deeply and Donatello, who stood next to him, had apparently the same opinion.

"Leo, let me ask you one question. How big is the probability that he is going to hit us?" he whispered gloomily.

The answer came before Donatello had time to finish the sentence. Casey stumbled over the stairs and began to fall in the direction of the bamboo canes. Splinter and the turtles jumped from the place in the course of a second after which they landed perfectly on the stone floor. Leonardo looked resignedly at Casey who crashed down the bamboo canes. This man was so clumsy that it was amazing that he was still alive. Splinter took a deep breath and exhaled slowly while he clapped his hands so the light returned to the cave. Casey moaned and rose from the mess.

"I'm sorry guys, I couldn't see a thing," Casey explained.

"You don't say," Michelangelo said. "We were almost cut to turtle kebab."

"It wasn't that bad," Casey objected and spread his arms to each side. "You moved quickly away from the place."

"We are aware of the risk after all those times you have crashed down in our home, lamebrain," Raphael said dryly and laid his hand on his friends shoulder. "Here is an idea: Why don't you take a look around before you walk right into the cave? It would help, trust me!"

Casey was Raphael's best friend and they were very much alike with their big temper. Some of the people in the cave would claim that Casey made Raphael to look more relaxed and reasonable in comparison. He was a loyal young man, even though he could look rough when the anger came to his blue eyes. He was tall, suntanned and he had long black hair to his shoulders. He had met Raphael when he fought alone against a gang named "The purple dragons". He hated the gang because they had burned down his father's store. The meeting with Raphael had been violent but they had made peace when Raphael and his brothers had helped him.

"By the way I haven't tumbled over the bamboo canes with you guys on the top that often," Casey added and smiled.

"No, just five times to be accurate," Donatello pointed out.

"It is good to see you again, Mr. Jones," Splinter said in his polite way. "But I thought that we had an agreement so we could prevent these incidents. Why didn't you call us before you arrived?"

"It isn't my fault," Casey defended himself and laid his hand on his chest. "I tried to call you but you didn't answer the phone."

"Well, you didn't call me," Michelangelo said and smiled goofily. "You couldn't do it because Donny had my shell cell in his workshop."

"I have tried to call all of you but I got no answer," Casey said. "I couldn't call Don and it actually surprised me."

Donatello took his shell cell from his belt and opened it. "Well I never! You have called," he smiled embarrassedly and shrugged his shoulders when he noticed their bewilderment. "Don't look at me like that. I had to take the shell cells to my workshop last night because I needed to make the shell case stronger."

"You didn't get finished Don?" Michelangelo asked and shook his head. "That is almost disappointing."

"It was about that time where Mikey decided to pay me a visit," continued Donatello with his explanation and ignored the comment from his younger brother. "To make a long story short: He broke them. I wasn't finished with them when we began our training lesson therefore it was impossible for you to call us today Casey."

"Why doesn't that surprise me Mikey?" exclaimed Raphael and pointed accusingly at Michelangelo. "Can't you stay out of trouble for once in your life or is it just a bad habit of yours?"

"Yeah, yeah, just blame me!" Michelangelo complained and crossed his arms in despair. "It isn't my fault that the shell cells are fragile."

"It is just another reason why you shouldn't touch them," Raphael concluded.

"I think that we got away from the subject," Leonardo interrupted calmly and turned towards Casey before Michelangelo got the time to answer him. "Is there a problem in the world above?"

"Well yes and no," Casey answered mysteriously.

"Could you please explain yourself, Mr. Jones?" asked Master Splinter and looked seriously at him.

"It is April," Casey explained. "I was on my way to my friend Steve when I decided to pay her a visit and she is honestly very concerned. She wanted to hear if you could stay at her place tonight. She doesn't want to be alone in her apartment."

"Has something happened to her? Raphael asked and turned his attention away from Michelangelo.

"Oh no, nothing has happened to her," Casey answered reassuring. "But there have been some robberies in the town lately and she doesn't like it."

"Robberies?" Leonardo asked and looked concernedly at Casey. "What have been stolen?"

"I don't know actually," Casey confessed honestly. "I didn't ask her but ran down here to get you. The only information, which she gave me, was that it had been some rough dudes who attacked the stores."

"I think, I have heard something about it," Donatello said. "It was in the News last night after an interesting show about atoms. The store owners had been knocked down by some mysterious thieves."

"It is very common thing in New York," Raphael intervened.

"Yeah, but there had also been battles in those stores," Donatello explained seriously. "And it wasn't the store owner who joined the battle. It seemed like the thieves had fought about the stolen goods and the strange thing is that it has occurred in eight stores over the entire city."

"I don't understand where you're getting at Don," Michelangelo said. "Why is it strange?"

"Because of the battles in the stores. It could mean that a person is trying to stop the thieves or the thief. It might be important," Donatello explained.

"What were stolen Donny?" Leonardo asked curiously.

"That would be the weirdest thing about this story," his younger brother said and laid his hand thoughtfully around his chin. "The thief wanted flutes."

"Maybe it is some crazy musician who has run out of instruments?" Michelangelo suggested and smiled.

"Nonetheless we can't let April be alone," Casey said. "She has a lot of thing in her junk business and it wouldn't surprise me if she also had a couple of flutes."

"I agree," Master Splinter nodded and looked at his students. "You must go immediately to her home and protect her from harm."

"Not a problem, Sensei," Raphael said confidently. "It is a piece of cake."

"We must hope so, my son," Splinter said but he didn't sound certain at all.

A/N: So what did you guys think? I know that the beginning was a bit short but it is a start. Please give me some reviews. I really appreciate it, thanks!


	2. The strange woman

A/N: Hey everybody! Here is the next chapter. I finished the chapter yesterday to get it ready for you. Thanks Ramica for your review and your advice! I'm going on holiday the next few days so I won't add any chapters before Saturday. See you soon…

"I really appreciate that you'll spend the night here, guys," April said thankfully. "I must admit that I got a little nervous about the talk of the robberies."

"Has something happened in this area?" Leonardo asked and sat down in the sofa by the side of Raphael.

"There is another antique shop three blocks away and it was robbed yesterday," told April and swept a red lock behind her ear.

"But something weird is going on with the robberies as Donny expressed earlier," Raphael said and shrug his shoulders. "Why flutes?"

"It is the same question I have asked myself," Leonardo nodded. "Why flutes? It isn't exactly normal to steal a flute. April, do you know anything particular about the flutes what were stolen?"

"Nothing comes to my mind," answered April and shook her head. "There weren't anything unusual about the flutes."

"No comparison at all? That doesn't make sense!" Leonardo sighed resignedly. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, I am," April insured and added thoughtfully. "Perhaps it was the reason why they were delivered back to the original owners."

"That is new information," Donatello exclaimed. "It wasn't mentioned in the News."

"A thief with conscience? I'm willing to believe it the day when Mikey has learnt how to think," remarked Raphael and smiled cruelly to the others. "Do I have to say more?"

"Ha ha, you're so funny Raph," Michelangelo snapped surly at his elder brother. "Maybe it weren't the right flutes."

"I hate to agree with you but you might have a point there," Raphael said and looked at April. "Can you describe the flutes which had been taken and put back to the stores?"

"They were small," April told them and went to her drawer. "They were very similar with this flute even though they had differences. Either they had some patterns on the sides or they were plain flutes of wood like this one. I have several of them in my shop."

Donatello received the instrument and studied it carefully. It was a little simple plain wooden flute. He wrapped his thee fingers around it and raised it to his mouth whereupon some tones played.

"In any case there is nothing special about this one," he concluded and looked doubtfully at the floor. "The thieves must want something special with a certain flute but what?"

"We will find out in the morning," Leonardo decided firmly and gave April a reassuring glance. "We will protect your stuff tonight."

"Thanks guys, I fell better already," April appreciated and pointed out in the kitchen. "You can take that you need. It is all yours."

"You don't have to say it twice!" Michelangelo said and licked his lips. "I can already taste the popcorns."

"Do you need a hand?" Donatello offered and was about to get up from the floor.

"No no, you don't have to," Michelangelo insured quickly. "I got it under control but thanks for the offer, bro."

Donatello nodded silently and sat down on the floor again. Raphael smiled slightly while he walked towards April who was standing in front of her bedroom door. She looked inquiringly at him when he stopped.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," he said but continued in a whisper. "But you have to promise that you'll never allow Donny to make food. Maybe he is a genius turtle but he is a disaster in a kitchen."

"Really?" April asked amazed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You should! If is for your own good," Raphael insured. "Sweet dreams."

"Thanks," she said and left the four turtles.

Leonardo stood by one of the windows and gazed outside where the heaven had gotten dark of clouds. It was only a matter of minutes before the rain would arrive. Raphael stood beside his brother and waited for him to speak.

"Do you take the first watch?" Leonardo asked after a moment of silence

"Yeah, you know me," Raphael grinned.

"Good, the others need their sleep," Leonardo said quietly without moving his eyes from the windows.

"And we don't?" Raphael remarked and laid his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You worry too much, Leo. It is your biggest problem."

"You aren't in position to discuss my problems hothead," Leonardo noticed sharply.

Raphael became silent a moment while he remembered some of the countless arguments which he had had with Leonardo in the course if time. Even though they disagreed a lot, they were brothers, and they liked to spend time together. Leonardo only wished that Raphael sometimes could see things from his point of view. On the other hand, he had no doubt that Raphael had the same wish about himself.

"You're right. I am worried but the worst thing about this case is that I don't understand why I'm so concerned. It is just an ordinary thief, right?"

"Yeah, this thief or the thieves are nothing compared to Shredder," Raphael pointed out.

"No, nobody is," Leonardo said and shivered with the thought.

Shredder had been their enemy for ages and he wouldn't disappear though they had defeated him time after time. He was a merciless opponent who didn't show mercy to anybody. Unfortunately, he had also a bad habit to appear when the turtles thought that they had vanquished him for good.

"The popcorns are ready to eat," Michelangelo announced happily and arrived with a giant bowl in his hands.

"We better hurry if we want to get some food today. You'll never know with his stomach," Leonardo said dryly.

Everybody started laughing and the four brothers sat down in front of the small TV. They had chosen an excellent action movie and Michelangelo cheered the evening up with his crazy jokes. They had a great evening enjoying each other's company though Raphael probably wouldn't admit it. He kept his guard up when the others fell asleep. If a thief was so stupid to break into Aprils store then he would hear them immediately and he would make sure that they wouldn't forget their mistake for their entire life.

It was here that the flutes were supposed to be. There weren't so many possibilities left. The message had been clear: The flutes were in New York and last store hadn't given any results. This store was one of the last places on the list, which the thief had in her hand.

The street was abandoned when the thief approached the antique store. Within a few seconds, she had a hairpin in her hand as she stood by the door. The thief pulled the black cap under her black shirt before she opened the door. There was no reason to be incautious when she was so close to attain the object of her desires. She had studied the store in disguise the previous day and had noticed the flutes in the corner. The thief sought indeed a very special flute in spite of it looked like the others wooden flutes. The only visible difference was the symbol of a rat on the sides.

"It is perfect," the thief whispered and laid the flute in the bag around her waist.

"Don't you know how to read?" a voice asked hoarsely. "The sign on the door says closed if you haven't noticed."

The thief turned but it was impossible to see anything in the room except for the shadows, which were created by the streetlight. She felt ill at ease because it was clear that a person was in the room with her. A person who was invisible for the eye.

"Who is it?" the thief asked nervously.

"Well guys," a lighter voice said from the other side of the storeroom. "Can somebody explain the little thief what he did wrong?"

"The clothes could certainly be better," a third voice remarked. "Come on, green just rocks!"

Her eyes wandered around in the room but it was impossible to determent where the voices came from and it was so dark that it was hard to distinguish the things in the store from the shadows. It was an easy place to hide.

"Show yourselves!" demanded the thief uncomfortable. "Or are you cowards who are afraid to show your faces?"

"I must admit that you're brave little thief," the hoarse voice remarked and became harsh. "But you asked for it."

Raphael smiled widely when he stepped into the subdued light. He had grasped his sais and swung them haughty while he waited for the reaction from the thief. He had heard the thief walking loudly around in the shop and had wakened his brothers in time so they could catch the thief in the act.

"Don't get fooled by the pretty face," the third voice added and walked into the dimmed light. "Appearances are deceptive."

"You don't say," the thief said dryly. "Nice costumes! In addition, I thought the carnival in New York was finished. Let me guess: Frogs?"

Raphael took a deep breath over the annoying remark. He knew of cause that humans weren't use to see turtles in their own size but there was a huge difference between reptiles in his eyes. It could really get on his nerves when people thought that they were frogs but again it wasn't difficult to get on his nerves.

"No, we are turtles and believe or not but this is real," he hissed and pointed his finger threateningly at the thief who took a few steps back.

"Calm down Raph, we don't need to destroy April's store," Leonardo pleaded and made a sign to Donatello who turned on the light.

The thief gasped when the four turtles became visible. What were these creatures? They weren't certainly humans. The whole scene seemed surrealistic and she stood back terrified. She wanted to flee from these things but she had a big problem. They blocked the exit!

"It isn't difficult," Raphael said. "This guy gives us the flute back, end of story."

These creatures couldn't exist in the real world. It was impossible and against all odds but a voice inside her told her that this was the reality. She had the flute in her bag and it was real enough. The turtles had to be it too though she couldn't believe her own eyes. She wasn't afraid of them but she was insecure about their intentions. She looked down at her feet when she realized that the turtle had said. Suddenly she busted out laughing.

"Who said I was a man?" she asked and pulled off her cap.

"You're a woman," Donatello stated and looked stunned at the woman in front of him. "Who are you?"

She was quite beautiful with long black hair that shinned with a blue colour. Her face was slender and her eyes glittered as emeralds. She laid the black cap in the bag where she had hidden the flute.

"The masks are uncovered," the woman continued and smiled. "My name is Aki. I can't tell you anything more though I don't believe that you would go to the police. This is none of your business, turtles. Get out of my way or you'll get hurt."

"You're completely on the wrong track, lady," Raphael hissed and raised his weapons. "You're going nowhere with the flute."

"Why do you want it anyway?" Donatello asked curiously.

"Like I said, this is none of your business," Aki snarled and raised the hand. "Don't complain. You were warned!"

With these words, she raised the palm of her hand towards them and the turtles were thrown back by a strong mysterious wind. Donatello groaned when he hit April's cabinet with crockery. His brothers weren't as fortunate. Leonardo and Raphael flew against the glass cases in the middle of the room and Michelangelo landed hardly against the wall. By the time they got up, the woman was gone and they took out their weapons and ran after her.

"What the hell happened?" Michelangelo asked while they hopped on the fire escapes to get to the rooftops.

"I don't know," Donatello admitted honestly. "She made a movement with her hand and we flew in different directions. I haven't seen anything like it before."

"Magi?" Leonardo suggested open for possibilities.

"No, I don't think so. It was likely a kind of mechanical device which we couldn't see," Donatello considered and ran to the next roof.

"I agree with Don on this subject," Raphael remarked. "Magi doesn't exist in our world."

"It certainly does," Michelangelo protested and looked indignantly at his brothers. "It is very normal in our world."

"Only in the comics," Raphael pointed out. "Well, it looks like our little lady is heading for Central Park."

"Don, you and Raph can block her way before she arrives at the park. We will continue to follow her so she doesn't get suspicious," Leonardo ordered his brothers. "She mustn't escape from us."

"She doesn't have a chance," Raphael said and disappeared with Donatello.

Aki couldn't believe what had happened in the antique store but she was convinced that she was fallowed. She hadn't seen any signs of the turtles but she had felt their eyes down on her neck since she left the store on her way to Central Park. This was getting really annoying, she didn't have the time to fight against overgrowing lizards. She had to find the other flutes on the list in a hurry. Aki stopped to catch her breath for a moment and her hand slipped down in her pocket where she had the list.

"Let me guess," a voice sounded from the roof. "You're not finished with the shopping after free groceries. You're not very clever, lady."

Aki gasped and dropped the list. She cursed but didn't have the time to collect it from the ground. She had to get away before they caught her. She spotted a small alley and turned quickly down the little passage. There was dark and she couldn't see where she went. Suddenly her foot hit something hard and she screamed as she felt to the ground.

"A bo staff is very useful indeed," Donatello remarked and stepped out of the shadows. "It can knock your enemy to the ground just like that."

"Bravo Donny," Raphael commented and gave her a hard glance. "You shouldn't mess with a ninja. You'll get hurt."

Aki looked irritatingly at both of them but she couldn't do anything. The two last turtles appeared behind her and she was trapped. All of a sudden, she felt angry and clenched her fists so her knuckles became white. The flute was in her possession now and she wouldn't give it up easily. She took quickly a fan from her bag in the split of a second and stood still in a defensive stance.

"You leave me no choice," she hissed angrily. "I didn't want to hurt you but I guess you have to learn in the hard way."

"You want to harm us with a fan?" Michelangelo asked amazingly and turned to Leonardo. "That was new."

"Haven't you noticed that it isn't an ordinary fan in her hand? he asked his younger brother. "The sides is made of iron."

"And?"

"The fan has a sharp edge at both sides," he explained patiently and smiled slightly. "It is maybe not as harmless as it seems."

"That is enough talk for me," Raphael said and attacked his opponent.

Aki gave a little smile when he approached her with his weapons. She made a back flip and landed behind the two other turtles. For a moment, she had the element of surprise and attacked Leonardo from behind. She kicked him in the back against Raphael who leaped from his spot before he smashed into his brother.

Michelangelo raised his nunchakus and swung them around rapidly. He attacked and she ducked quickly while she hit him hard with the fan, which cut a small scratch on his leg. He clenched his teeth then he attacked her from a new angle.

"Can't you do better than this with your precious fan?"

Aki avoided him and escaped to the side. Michelangelo aimed a blow at her but he didn't get her. She leaped to the side and ducked away from him so he was unable to hit her. She folded her fan and ran behind him. Michelangelo tried to escape but she hit the back of his head with the sharp metal edge of the fan and he felt to the ground.

"Apparently you could," he said and rubbed his tender forehead.

She turned short and faced Raphael who had swung his sai against her head. Michelangelo backed off. They knew better that to get in each other's way. She fought back but Raphael ducked and kicked her in the stomach. She gasped over the pain in her body when she landed at the ground.

"Give up, kiddo," Raphael suggested scornfully. "It will be over if you give us the flute."

"Not for me," Aki snarled. "I will not allow it."

In the same time, she said her words, she raised her hand against them and blew them directly into the buildings. Donatello was the first who got up on his feet and he attacked her quickly so she didn't escaped one more time.

"Don't worry, bros. She's mine," he said and struck at her side.

Aki parried his blow with the fan and protected herself from his attacks. Donatello kept attacking her sides with the long staff but he wasn't able to hit her. She either escaped in the last minute or ducked to the ground. She couldn't attack him because of the range of the bo staff. Suddenly she saw her chance and rolled down between his legs. She rose and kicked him to the ground with an elegant movement.

"What did you say?" Raphael asked and smiled. "I don't think she heard you."

"She fights well," Donatello said and looked at Aki who fought against Leonardo. "She might be on the same level as us or even better. She can resist most of our attacks."

Donatello finished his sentence and joined the fight. Leonardo raised his katanas and Aki had a hard time avoiding the deadly blades. She rolled away from him, warded off a blow from the bo staff, and kicked Donatello to the side. Michelangelo watched the fight between them and looked at his brother.

"Perhaps I'm crazy for saying this," he said thoughtfully. "But she only avoids the blows from us."

Raphael shook his head. "It won't last for long."

Raphael had gotten to the point where he wanted to win the fight. He was the one of the turtles who enjoyed the fighting and he could feel the blood running fast through his entire body when he kicked her to the ground. It was wonderful to feel that he was alive and able to beat a villain.

"The game ends now," he said dramatically and threw himself at her to make the final blow.

"The game isn't over before I say so," she hissed and turned the palm of her hand against him whereupon he flew in the opposite direction.

Raphael rubbed his head, which had taken a few hits by the fights she had caused him, and he closed his eyes a bit while he gave her a frustrated glance and pointed threateningly at her.

"You're getting nowhere with the cheating. You don't stand a chance against us and you know that of a fact. Why doesn't you accept it?"

"I have my reasons," Aki said and tried to catch her breath.

She knew that it was impossible for her to win the fight by fair play but she had noticed something about their fighting style, which she could use for her advantage. The turtles didn't want to get in each other's way and with their honour, they attacked against her either singly or in pairs. The problem was that there were still four of them and she would probably get tired before them. It was a fight she couldn't win. Therefore, she had only one possibility left which she had thought of when they had blocked her way in the alley.

She turned short in the moment Leonardo aimed a blow at her with his katana. She folded out the fan and placed it in front of her. His blade went straight through the thin material but it was the purpose. She quickly folded the fan together and twisted it around and his weapon was forced out of this hand. The entire thing took no more than a second. She dropped down the fan and took over the sword as she kicked Leonardo to the ground and placed the edge of the sword against his neck.

"I didn't want to fight but you forced me to," she said. "And now I have no choice. I have noticed that you are honourable in your fighting style. You must give me your word of honour that you won't follow me or I'll kill him."

The other turtles stopped their actions and looked stunned at her. They could sense that she was dead serious. Aki had laid her foot down at their brother's chest and hold him now firmly down.

"Put down your weapon and swear to let me go without following me."

"You shouldn't think of me," Leonardo pleaded seriously. "We promised April to protect her store. Stop her!"

Donatello sighed heavily and dropped his bo staff. Michelangelo followed his brother and placed his weapons on the ground. Raphael gazed angrily at Aki who remained silent with the sword close to Leonardo's neck. He didn't have a choice and they all knew it. At first, he faced her and crossed his sais in front of him in a defensive stance then he threw his sai, which landed perfectly close to Aki's feet.

"You're brave little thief," he repeated slowly.

"If you got nothing to lose," Aki said calmly. "Then it can lead you to desperate actions."

"We have dropped our weapons, sister," Michelangelo said. "Let go of our brother now."

Donatello walked closer to her and gave her a pleading glance. "We give you our word of honour."

"I shouldn't do this but I trust you," Aki said finally and removed her foot from Leonardo's body as she held out her hand to him to help him get up. "I'll disappear now and we'll never meet again."

"Don't count on it," Raphael hissed.

"Can't you tell us why you need the flute?" Donatello asked.

"No, it is better if you don't know anything about me or the flute," Aki rejected mildly. "But I promise you that I won't rob the store again. I only wanted the flute before it got into the wrong hands."

She took her fan and laid it nicely in her bag. She didn't look back but hurried down the alley in the night along with her the mysterious words. Raphael picked up his sais and placed them in his belt.

"Shall we go after her?"

"No, we must keep our word. We promised on our word of honour," Leonardo reminded him and took his katanas.

"There is no honour when we let a thief get away like that," Raphael said. "It was a flute from April's store. Have you totally forgotten that?"

"No, I haven't but we can't break our word. I surely can't break it," Leonardo added.

"So a thief can get away because of your honour. That just great Leo!" Raphael said annoyed and faced his brother.

"That is more than I can say about your honour Raph."

"Are you implying that I don't have an honour?" shouted Raphael and pointed accusable at him.

Michelangelo gave Donatello a despairing look. As they got older, they had accustomed themselves to the constant arguments between Leonardo and Raphael. They were used to it by now. The only problem was that it could take ages before they were finished.

"Do you want to sit down while we wait?" he asked. "Apparently we are going to be here a long time."

"Oh, you mean the fight between Raphael and Leonardo? Yeah, like I didn't see it coming," Donatello said ironically. "Nah, I better take a search around Central Park."

Michelangelo went with his brother and left the two hotspurs alone with their arguments. Donatello bent over the ground searching for a specific piece of paper in the roadside.

"What are you looking for Donny?"

"I'm looking for the piece of paper which our friend had in her hand. It might give us the clue we are looking for. Afterwards we can talk to April about it."

"Why?" Michelangelo asked.

"Ah, there it is!" Donatello burst out in triumph with the paper in his hand. "This is the list over all the antique shops in New York with flutes."

"Is it just me or had the girl some mania for flutes?" Michelangelo noticed and shrugged confusedly his shoulders. "I don't get it. There is a ton flutes in New York. Why was the flute in April's shop so important?"

"This is the answer I hope we get tomorrow. If I am right then it is certain that our thief isn't done stealing flutes. She needs them badly for some reason. It could help us to make a surprise for her."

"If so I'll hope that we are doing better than today," Michelangelo said and sighed. "Because I can't let go of this feeling inside me about the next time we'll face her. Will she kick our butts or will we be able to kick hers?"

A/N: The next chapter is going to be fantastic, just wait and see :o)


	3. The new enemy

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm so happy that you like the story and I just want to say that I really appreciate your opinions. Thanks Ramica for your mail and your offer to help me. It mean so much to me!

I have finally translated the next chapter and I'm already writing on the next chapter in the story, I hope that I can it finished and give it to us at the end of next week. Enjoy…

"What a mess," April exclaimed horrified and looked stunned at her store. The turtles had decided to show their friend the destruction of the thief's visit after the breakfast. They hadn't told her everything about the events of the night because the place would tell the story for itself. April swallowed hardly as she bent down next to the broken glass cases.

"What have you done? It looks like the thief just placed a bomb inhere." April noticed sourly and shook her head.

"You've just hit it, April," Michelangelo said and looked deplorably at her. "The thing is just that we were the bombs."

"We are sorry," Leonardo apologized sincerely. "We want to help you cleaning up this place but we need to ask you some questions first."

"About what?" April asked and started to collect the broken glass from the floor.

"What was special about the flute which got stolen?" Donatello asked curiously and helped her. "We think that it was an original flute and I hoped that you could tell us something about it."

"Actually it was a rather ordinary flute. The tones were very gently and the decorations on the sides were marvellous," April answered.

"Can you describe it for us?" Donatello asked. "It is important that we know all the details."

"Well, the flute was carved beautifully. There were also a lot of patterns and signs," April described. "Besides there were two symbols of a rat of each side of the flute. That's all."

Leonardo collected thoughtfully some of the broken glass and heaved a sigh. He placed them in a box and stopped in front of April. She received it, put her own broken stuff in the case with a sad smile, and left the store. Leonardo faced his brothers and crossed his arms.

"There have to be more to it," he said and shook his head. "Aki didn't steal the flute because she needed an instrument."

"It doesn't seem likely," Donatello agreed.

"I don't believe that either," Michelangelo said. "Do you remember the time after the fight with her? She told us that she didn't want the flute to get into the wrong hands."

"We can't trust her words because she said so. She is a thief!" Raphael reminded and gave them a serious glance. "She destroyed the shop and stole the flute from April. In my opinion, that is enough. Obviously Aki didn't wanted us to follow her and she got her will thanks to our fearless leader who let her get away with it."

"It is possible but I don't believe it," Donatello said quickly before Leonardo got the time to answer his brother. "It isn't common that a thief behaves like she did that night."

"It isn't common that a thief steals flutes," Raphael pointed out.

"There had been battles in the other stores. Maybe she tried to prevent another person from stealing the flute," Leonardo said. "It is a theory which Donatello got in the cave."

"I'm with Leo. She did seem very serious about the matter," Michelangelo added and looked at Raphael. "She didn't want to fight against us but she did it anyway because of the flute. She wouldn't have joined the fight if the flute was normal."

"I don't disagree with you on that subject," Raphael burst out annoyingly. "But it doesn't mean that she won't use the flute for an evil purpose."

Michelangelo looked stunned at him but realized that his elder brother got a point. They shouldn't accept her words before they knew all the facts. It would be a huge mistake to trust her when they didn't know her. Michelangelo turned away from him and faced Leonardo.

"Raph is right, Leo. We can't know for sure what Aki has in mind. She could be one of the bad guys."

"I don't deny the possibility that she would use the flute for an evil purpose," Leonardo assured him. "But I don't believe it. She seemed honest."

Michelangelo grubbed his head and sighed deeply. It was too much information for his brain. It was complicated because they didn't know if the flute played a part in the story. They hadn't even proved if the flute was special or not. He gazed at Donatello who had some papers in his hands.

"What now?"

"We actually don't know anything," Donatello stated firmly and showed the list which he had picked up the previous night. "This list is the only clue which we have in our possession and I have investigated it today."

"Can it show us where she is going to strike next?" Leonardo asked while he read the different store names on the list.

His brothers were standing by his side, reading behind his back. Michelangelo knitted his brows and addressed to Donatello.

"I didn't know that we had so many antique stores in New York."

"I can search on the internet to see how many shops which has been visited by our friend. In that way we can exclude a lot of the stores on the list," Donatello said.

"It sounds good Donny," Leonardo nodded. "It will definitely limit the searching areas."

"Shouldn't we just take the store after April's name on the list?" Michelangelo suggested.

"It isn't certain that she has written the list and taken it by turns," Donatello remarked and pointed down on the paper. "Maybe she decided to take a store in one area at the time. The last robberies happened nearby."

"So you think the next store is close to us?" Leonardo asked.

"We need to find the name on the internet," Donatello answered. "When I can give you the answer."

"I have no doubt that you would find the name Don, but I'm not sure that it would help us," Raphael said gloomily. "Because I'm not convinced that she will choose the next store nearby."

"What do you mean?" Michelangelo asked.

"She isn't stupid," Raphael said hoarsely. "She knows there is a chance that we have found the list. I don't think that she would take the easiest solution to find her."

"On the other hand she seemed desperate," Leonardo objected and took a deep breath. "But you have a point. It isn't certain that she would choose the nearest shop so it means that we have to split up in groups."

"There are still a lot of stores on the list," Michelangelo reminded his brothers while he pointed down with his finger on the paper. "We can't watch over all the stores. It is impossible."

"It is a risk we have to take," Leonardo nodded in agreement and looked at Donatello. "Donny, do you have a transmitter so we can keep in touch with each other?"

"Of course I have," his brother answered with a big smile. "That is the least of our problems."

"Good, we have come to an agreement," Leonardo said and smiled slightly when he noticed Raphael's gloomy face. "Well, almost anyway. Don will search after the stores, which has been visited by Aki. When the evening arrives, we will take different routes and keep in touch with each other in case we see something, okay?"

"It sounds boring," Michelangelo complained. "I'm not used to sit down quietly on my butt."

"You don't say!" Raphael exclaimed ironically.

"That was it, guys," April's voice sounded and they gazed at her. "Do you have a plan?"

"We have a plan," Leonardo confirmed while he was standing in front of her. "We're sorry that we weren't able to protect your store."

"It is all right," April said calmly and she smile a little to convince him. "I blame the thief for this mess, not you."

"She threw us around like tiny balls," Michelangelo commented and looked at his brothers. "Am I really the only one who finds it weird? It happens merely in the comics that people are able to throw things around with a single movement of the hand."

"It is true Mikey but I'm sure there is a logical explanation," Donatello considered. "As I said to you earlier, it is probably a small device in her hand which threw us away. This doesn't concern me so much."

"What's the matter Don?" April asked while she put the flutes back on their place. They had felt down on the floor after Aki had taken the small flute.

"There isn't a connection between the robberies," he pointed out seriously. "I'm convinced that Aki is searching after a special type of flute otherwise she wouldn't give the other flutes back to the owners. Are you sure that you can't tell us anything more about the stolen flute?"

"I don't know if it has any significance," she said and hesitated a little before she continued. "But the flute was imported from China."

"Thanks April, maybe we will get more information after the thief's next attempt," Leonardo said gratefully.

"You mean that it isn't over yet?" April asked horrified.

"I'm sure that it is only the beginning," he said honestly.

The whole day went with preparations. Splinter had gazed disquietingly at his sons when they had told him about the events of the previous night and he wasn't able to control his feelings in this moment. He was worried and didn't like that his sons was planning to meet an enemy they didn't knew at all but on the other hand, he understood their actions perfectly. This was the reason why he hadn't stopped them even though he was aware of the risks. Aki was a great opponent but Splinter was convinced that other dangers were nearby. He couldn't explain why he felt it in his heart but he had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts.

Leonardo had been in his room to plan tonight's strategy. His son was very careful about his planning because Splinter had taught him that the chances to stand against an unknown enemy were bigger, if they were prepared for the worst. Raphael had also been in his room after their conversation with their Sensei. He hadn't showed up yet but Splinter was certain that his son was lost in his training. Raphael relied more on strength than planning therefore he kept his body constantly in shape. Donatello had spent most of his time in his workshop, packing his stuff so he was able to manage every situation. The only turtle, who Splinter had seen all day, was Michelangelo who had placed himself in front of the big TV, looking at his favourite movies. Splinter shook gently his head and sat down by the side of his son.

"Shouldn't you train Michelangelo?" he remarked calmly.

"It isn't necessary Master Splinter," Michelangelo responded confidently. "Aki doesn't stand a chance against me."

"Are you sure about that my son?"

"What do you mean?" Michelangelo asked in wonder.

"I heard that you were beaten by a fan," Splinter said and chuckled.

"Ah..," Michelangelo said and smiled goofily. "It was a one time thing, you know.. It was a technical accident. It could happen to anyone."

"Right," Splinter said and noticed Raphael in the corner of his eye. "Ah, are you finished Raphael?"

"It is getting dark," Raphael said and turned his glance to his younger brother. "Why doesn't it surprise me that you have done nothing today?"

"I have done something today," Michelangelo protested insulted. "I have watched the greatest movies while you gadded about, doing gymnastics."

"Why did I ask?" Raphael sighed deeply.

"Ha ha, you're just sour because I was having fun while you were working out in your room," Michelangelo laughed and rose while he starred into his brother's cold eyes. "Admit it!"

"You aren't funny Mikey," Raphael hissed. "I'm warning you to get the hell out of my way or.."

"Or what?"

"Or I will tear off your stupid grin of your face," Raphael threatened.

"I'm really frightened," Michelangelo exclaimed and played scared. "Please don't hurt me. I'm so terrified."

"Don't tempt me," Raphael snarled harshly and gave him an annoyed look. "Idiot."

Michelangelo shook indulgently his head and turned to Master Splinter. "What was the matter with him?"

"Your brother's temper is big and easily to fire," Splinter said seriously. "And it takes time to cool down."

"Do you mean that he is still mad because Aki beat us yesterday? Michelangelo asked and looked at his brother who had leaned back against the wall. "He has been in a bad mood the whole day. I'm aware of it is his dark nature but it is worse than normal. I haven't had any luck to cheer him up at all."

"Are you ready?" Leonardo asked as he came out of his room.

"I have been for a long time," Raphael remarked irritated and walked to his brother. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, we shall," Leonardo answered and looked suspiciously at him. "What's the matter?"

"Don't start Leo," Raphael rejected hoarsely.

Leonardo nodded understandingly and didn't say a word. Raphael wasn't the type of person who liked to talk things out but Leonardo quickly realized that Raphael wasn't irritated at him so he dropped the subject. There was no reason to make Raphael more angry than he already was. Donatello came wandering from his workshop with his sports bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, how is it going?"

"Everything is fine," Leonardo assured and pointed his finger at him. "What do you have in your magic bag this time Donny?"

"A lot of different things which can be very useful for us if we need it. It will do no harm to be prepared," his brother answered and smiled widely. "This is the first thing I want to give you."

He reached his hand down in the bag and pulled out a few night binoculars, which he handed over to Raphael and Michelangelo. They had tried them before. This was high technical binoculars where they could see in the dark and were able to lock on a special target if they wanted to. Sometimes they had even used them when they played hide and seek from each other in the sewers. Raphael turned it slowly in his hand and faced his brother with a questioning look.

"Why do we need them? It isn't dark outside with the street light."

"It isn't actually the street light which shines on the place where you're going. It could be useful to you," Donatello advised him and grabbed some other things. "Here are microphones and handsets to keep in touch with one another. I have also been on the internet. Aki has been very active the past few days. There was another store which was robbed last night and a new flute has vanished from the face of the earth."

"Do you have any information about it?" Leonardo asked.

"It had the same shape as the flute with the rat symbol," Donatello informed. "This time the symbol was a dragon."

"That doesn't help us," Michelangelo remarked disappointingly.

"On the contrary Mikey," he contradicted and became serious. "The flute was imported from China as the other one. Therefore, I have searched after flutes with the same size and shape like the stolen ones. There was two shops, which primarily buys and sells stuff from East Asia. That is why I think we should take a look at these places first. Afterwards we can take out the last stores of the list if it is necessary."

"Where am I going?" Raphael asked impatiently. "I won't let the little thief get away again."

"Donatello showed me the names of the stores this afternoon and we agreed to split up in two groups," Leonardo told them and pointed down the paper. "You and Mikey take the >>Huang Li's Antique Store . It is placed in an alley nearby.."

"Yeah, I know where it is. I have been in the neighbourhood before," Raphael interrupted and looked at Donatello. "So this was the reason why you gave us the night binoculars but it isn't necessary bro. A ninja lives in the shadows and I see excellently in the darkness."

"It is hard to see anything in the area when it is dark," his brother said. "The heaven is covered by clouds which means you won't get light from the moon. It would make it easier for you to get around. Leonardo and I are going to >>Antiques from the East and we will contact you immediately if we see Aki."

"Okay, I guess these binoculars won't do any harm," Raphael nodded and turned to Michelangelo who studied his binoculars. "Are you coming buffoon?"

"Be careful on the surface my sons," Master Splinter warned who had remained silently throughout their entire conversation. "The world above is a dangerous place and I feel a great evil is near."

"We will Sensei," Leonardo promised and smiled reassuringly.

Splinter bowed for his student and they returned the bow to their teacher. The old rat walked past them with his little wood cane and the turtles watched him until he had disappeared into his room. Michelangelo smiled and imitated Splinter's movement.

"The world is a dangerous place and I feel a great evil is near," he repeated hoarsely and laughed. "Dudes, talk about a doomsday prophecy."

"I heard that!" Master Splinter's voice sounded from his room and Michelangelo shrug his shoulders with a big smile on his lips.

Raphael and Michelangelo had hidden themselves behind some garbage cans a few metres from the store. Raphael sat on one of his knees while he turned his sai around impatiently. It was tiring to wait especially if Aki wouldn't show up but Raphael was a stubborn person and he refused to give up. The possibility that the shop got the flutes, which Aki needed, was big and he would wait for her every single day if it meant that he would catch her. Since their defeat the previous night he had sworn by himself that he wouldn't let her fooled him one more time. The only thought in his mind concerning Aki was payback time.

Michelangelo didn't share the same feeling about her. He was bored terribly. He hated to wait, it wasn't his style. It would also have been better if they didn't have to wait behind the garbage cans, which smelled absolutely awful. It was horrible and he couldn't stand it anymore. He rolled his eyes and turned to his elder brother who kept his glance to the store.

"If you don't move soon, you will put down roots," he whispered and smiled. "Do you want to hear a joke?"

"No," Raphael answered shortly.

Michelangelo wasn't the type who would take the word "no" for an answer and it had caused him troubles more than one time. He was quiet the first couple of minutes but his good behaviour didn't last for long. He turned short to tell his joke to Raphael who quickly placed the palm of his hand across his mouth.

"If you say one word, I will choke your joke down through your neck," he snarled as lowly he could. "We are on surveillance Mikey. For you it means to be quiet and don't move from your spot. I don't have time for your games."

Michelangelo knew deep inside that his brother was right but he still sat down on his place offended by his brother's comment. There was nothing to do at this place anyway. Aki had likely chosen another shop to steal her precious flutes. Raphael moved and looked at the dark surface of the store. Donatello's night binocular was quite useful though he wasn't in the mood to admit it. Donatello was a special person to all of them. He was a genius turtle and he didn't stopped them when they praised him for his work but he didn't bragged with his skills either.

Raphael frowned at Michelangelo and shook his head. His youngest brother could really be a pain in the ass sometimes especially when he decided to play games at the wrong time but Raphael had realized that his brother also seemed to have the opposite effect on him. Michelangelo was definitely the turtle who had the ability to cheer him up when he was irritated.

"What said Tarzan when he saw a group of elephants with ninja masks coming down from the hill?" Michelangelo asked and interrupted his thoughts.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" he snarled but mitigated his anger when he noticed the sad expression on Michelangelo's face. "Okay, what?"

"Nothing, he couldn't recognize them," Michelangelo answered in a low voice. "Wasn't it good?"

Raphael smiled, nodded silently confirmatory and turned his attention back to the surveillance of the store. Michelangelo took a deep breath and drew different signs on the ground. If something didn't happen soon, it could turn out to be a very long night. He began to make a stick figure when he felt his brother prick on his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Someone is coming," Raphael whispered. "It is coming from the roof."

Leonardo and Donatello had chosen to drive to >>Antiques from the East which was placed a fair distance from their home. They had agreed to come for the others later if nothing occurred. They were driving in a van, which they had taken from the Purple Dragons, and they had rebuilt it to an armored car. It had an assortment of high-tech fixtures, which they could use as they wished. Donatello sat on the driver's seat and glanced at his silent brother.

"We must hope that she turns up," he noticed calmly while he turned the corner towards the store. "The list is the only clue we got. If she doesn't show up then we can't do anything about it."

"You're right Donny," Leonardo said and rested his arms on his laps. "But I can't imagine that you would have mentioned the two stores to me if you hadn't been sure in your mind."

Donatello felt suddenly a lump in his throat. He forgot sometimes that his brothers knew him inside out. He had investigated the stores completely after he had seen the TV program about the second robbery and discovered the connection about the flutes from China.

"I have no doubt in my mind," he assured him seriously. "But I must admit that I'm not sure that the flutes are made in China where they were exported. The signs on the flutes weren't exactly Chinese."

"How do you know?" Leonardo asked.

"I called April and asked her out about the flute one more time," Donatello admitted and blushed a little. "I just wanted to be certain if it meant something or not. By the way there was a picture of the dragon symbol on the internet."

"What is your theory?"

"I believe that the flutes were originally made in East Asia perhaps by an unknown wild tribe. The signs on the sides were quite unique and I haven't seen anything like it before. I can totally understand why April didn't attached importance to the details but I have a feeling inside which tells me different. The picture also gave me that expression this afternoon."

"But you're not completely sure?"

"I'm lost," Donatello admitted with a wry smile. "Nothing is certain in this matter. This is the reason why I wish to talk things out with Aki. I think she is trying to protect the flutes…."

"I got the same feeling about her," Leonardo interrupted. "And?"

"If she could have confidence in us then we would be able to help her," Donatello said. "But we need to talk with her nice and slowly."

"Then we must pray that it isn't Raphael who finds her," Leonardo commented gloomily. "The only thing, he had on his mind the whole day, was taking his revenge since our defeat. I doubt that he is in a talkative mood."

"She wouldn't have taken us down if we all had fought against her at the same time," Donatello noticed and ignored the sharp glance from Leonardo.

"That would have been a fight without honour," he said harshly. "That isn't how we fight. A warrior has the right to defend himself. Besides she would have lost the fight if she hadn't..."

Donatello cast a sidelong glance at him and their eyes met. No words were spoken, but there didn't need to be. They understood each other perfectly without them. There was no need to rub it in. They had still a chance to find her and it was the only thing that was significant.

They both knew that Leonardo lived and breathed for Ninjitsu. It was his life and honour meant everything to him. They had been brought up with the honour as number one priority. Splinter had made his choice as their Sensei and their father. Leonardo has always been satisfied with his childhood and wouldn't wished it otherwise. He tried to push his limits every day and he studied Japanese scrolls in his room most of the time to improve his martial arts skills even further.

Donatello let go of the gas pedal and stopped the Battle Shell a few metres from the big store. Some beautiful Japanese paintings was displayed in the window. Donatello couldn't help but admire the exclusive artwork, which the painters had made with precision and passion. Leonardo shared his emotions but forced his eyes away from the pictures. They had more important things to attend to and like Raphael and Michelangelo, they chose to hide themselves behind some garbage cans, waiting for Aki.

Raphael had locked his glance at the strange figure but he wasn't able to see, if it was Aki or not. The person was on the roof and didn't move at all. Raphael clenched his teeth and tightened his grip around his sais. It troubled his mind that the person didn't move from the roof. What was she waiting for?

"Is it Aki?" Michelangelo asked.

"I'm not sure," Raphael confessed. "She is too far away."

Michelangelo sat down quietly without making a noise. He had learned that a single movement or sound could reveal their position and it was important that they had the element of surprise. It would be an advantage, which they could use to defeat her.

"Where is she?" he asked in a low voice so that Raphael almost couldn't hear him.

"She is on the roof but she doesn't move," Raphael answered quietly. "My guess would be that she is waiting for something."

"What would that be?" Michelangelo asked wonderingly.

"A van," Raphael told shortly.

Michelangelo was about to make his respond when he heard car noise in the distance. Raphael's eyes squeezed suspiciously as the van drove into the alley. The night binoculars gave him a complete view over the place. An Asian man came out from the shop with a black suitcase, walking to the van after he had locked the door.

"What is happening?" Michelangelo asked curiously. "Give me some info, bro."

"It wasn't a big deal," Raphael whispered and gazed at the stranger at the top. "She was just waiting for the shop owner to leave the building."

In the meantime Leonardo and Donatello had been sitting down on the ground, looking at the big store without any results. The two brothers had turned their back against one another so they had a clear vision of the whole area. They were loaded down with the silence but it was a necessity. Donatello and Leonardo were aware of the risks if they made one sound. They didn't talk with each other, Donatello's glance was directed towards the roof and Leonardo watched the streets. They were concentrated about their mission and didn't move one muscle when they heard Raphael's voice in the microphone.

"Boys, I think we got her," he informed.

Leonardo looked resignedly at the ground. It was Raphael who found her. Suddenly he felt disappointed. He should have been the one to find her. The last thing, they needed at this moment, was the hothead to scare her away from them. Leonardo placed his hand at the microphone while his eyes were locked at the front door of the shop.

"Are you sure Raph?" he asked seriously.

"No, but I have seen a woman figure in the distance. She will soon be down here. She is coming from the roof."

Leonardo gasped in the moment when he caught sight of a dark person walking into the street light. The person was moving towards the store but he realized that it was a woman at the sight of her body. He was feeling nervous and excided all at once as she went towards the shop. The woman came close to the street light and his heart throbbed when he recognised her.

"Aki," he whispered in shock.

"What did you say?" Raphael exclaimed in the microphone. "Is she with you?"

Donatello stood next to his brother, laid his hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it lightly. He could sense his brother's emotions. Aki avoided the street light and kept herself to the shadows but it was easy for both of them to recognize her. They exchange glances in understanding and nodded in agreement. Donatello put his finger on the microphone.

"It is definitely her."

"It can't be true," Michelangelo's voice sounded. "She can't be in two places at once."

"She isn't," Leonardo said. "There is another thief in the game."

"Who is that?" Raphael asked.

"The thief who Aki is trying to stop," Donatello answered.

"It makes sense," Leonardo nodded and watched as Aki went into the shop. "It would explain the battles in the antique stores."

She had been so busy to get into the antique shop that she hadn't noticed the dark shadows behind the garbage cans. Leonardo sighed and rose from the ground.

"Raphael, keep an eye on the other thief. We have to talk with Aki to throw some light on this case. You mustn't fight against the other thief until we arrive. Are we clear?"

No response. Leonardo could feel his heart pounding faster and he looked at Donatello who shrug his shoulders. It was possible that Raphael had come in a bad mood and refused to answer them. It had happened before.

"Raph, do you hear me?"

"I hear you," the answer came angrily from the other line.

"Raph, I know for a fact that you don't like this but you mustn't fight against the other thief," Leonardo repeated seriously. "It an unknown enemy."

"You don't say," Raphael burst out sarcastically. "I'm afraid that I'm going to disappoint you, bro."

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked with misgivings in his heart.

"He mean that the thief has discovered us, Leo," Michelangelo's voice sounded anxiously. "She has known all the time that we watched her. She has come down from the roof."

"What does she look like Mikey?" Donatello asked and his eyes widened when he didn't get a response. "They aren't answering me."

"Michelangelo? Raphael? Answer me!" Leonardo demanded but the only answer, which he received, was silence.

A/N: Oh, what is going to happen next? Well, I'm doing my best to get the next chapter ready for you.


	4. The other thief

A/N: Hi everybody. Here is the next exciting chapter about the turtles' adventure about the mysterious flutes. Thank you so much for your reviews! I have really enjoyed reading them. In addition, I just want to say Ramica that I can never thank you enough for your help and I'm so happy that you like the story.

Michelangelo had never thought that he would have experienced this in his entire life. He had never expected that the things would have turned out this way. He had sat down, not doing a singe move, which had been surprising even for him when Raphael had contacted their brothers. Michelangelo had listened interestedly to their conversation, he hadn't anything better to do, but he had looked doubtfully at Raphael when Leonardo had told them that he had seen Aki.

"Raphael, keep an eye on the other thief. We have to talk with Aki to throw light on this case. You mustn't fight against the other thief until we arrive. Are we clear?" Leonardo asked in the microphone.

Raphael gazed frustrated at the ground because of his brother's orders. He didn't like to wait for them. Michelangelo turned his glance at the roof and gasped over the sight. He had seen many strange things in his life as a mutant ninja turtle but he couldn't believe his own eyes when the other thief jumped down from the rooftop and landed perfectly on her feet. A little voice inside him told him that it couldn't be real. A human being couldn't land perfectly on the ground when the buildings around him were three storeys high! He pricked silently his elder brother on his shoulder.

"Raph, I think you should take a look at this," he whispered.

His brother's eyes widened when he realized that the thief just had done. The person was still in the far end of the alley so they didn't have a clear sight of her even though they had the night binoculars. There was no doubt that it was a woman who had jumped from the roof. She had laid one hand at her thigh while she gazed searchingly around in the alley. Raphael grabbed his other sai and Michelangelo nodded in comprehension. It was best to be on the safe side.

"Raph, do you hear me?"

"I hear you," Raphael answered angrily

He had forgotten to answer his brother but he didn't have the time to chat. The thief had turned her attention to the garbage cans and Raphael was at his wits' end. He didn't mind to fight against the new opponent but he couldn't help feeling a bit uncertain about the situation. How was she able to drop from the roof unharmed? That didn't make sense at all! He couldn't explain it at this moment but something was wrong about the woman who stepped slowly to their direction.

"Raph, I know for a fact that you don't like this but you mustn't fight against the other thief," Leonardo repeated seriously. "It is an unknown enemy."

"You don't say," Raphael burst out sarcastically. "I'm afraid that I'm going to disappoint you, bro."

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked.

"He means that the thief has discovered us, Leo," Michelangelo said anxiously as he rose from his hideout. "She has known all the time that we watched her. She has come down from the roof."

"No, we don't want that," the woman said softly. "We don't want to get any help, do we? Microphones!"

Michelangelo screamed briefly as the microphone disappeared from his face and popped up in her hand together with Raphael's microphone. She clenched her fist hardly and threw the small pieces to the ground. He glanced terrified at his elder brother who seemed diffident.

"How did she do that?" he yelled in panic and pointed at her. "And how could you survive the jump from the roof without a scratch?"

"That is the easy stuff," the woman said calmly.

Raphael removed his binoculars. It wasn't useful anymore to him. They had never seen anyone like her. She was a rare beauty with her dark red hair that curled around the oval face but it was her glance, which was the most interesting thing about her. Her eyes were black as coal with a golden glow, which burned at the sight of them. Raphael felt that he had forgotten to breathe and took a deep breath. It was important to keep his head clear for any distractions. Michelangelo finally had the control of himself and he seemed stunned by her beauty for a moment.

"Well, I never!" the woman continued and walked closer. "Have you always been turtles?"

"We have," Raphael confirmed hoarsely.

"You don't seemed surprise," Michelangelo added.

"If you had seen the things which I have met over the last year then you wouldn't be surprised," the woman said and studied their ribbons and weapons. "Ninjas?"

"That is correct," Michelangelo said. "Now, what about your jump?"

"It was a simple spell," the woman confided to them. "I watched the store because…"

"Because you was going to steal the flutes in there, am I right?" Raphael finished for her.

"What do you know about the flutes?" she asked surprised.

"We know that you and your friend are looking for them in the entire city," Michelangelo responded.

"Aki," the woman snarled angrily.

"You know her?"

"You have much knowledge," the woman said and crossed her arms. "You're not the strangest creatures I have seen on my travel to New York but put down your weapons. You won't need them."

"I decide when I don't need them," Raphael stated harshly. "And my advice is that you take your ass back where you came from, lady. We don't need thieves in our city."

"Then we got a problem," the woman said coldly. "I need the flutes."

"You have to go through me first," Raphael hissed.

"It would be a pleasure," the woman answered and made a deprecating movement with her hand towards Michelangelo.

Suddenly he felt the wind grabbed his body, throwing it against the wall. He had felt the same experience last night where Aki had made the exactly same movement with her hand but this time the wind was more powerful and he screamed out in pain when he knocked his head into the fire escape. Then it was blackness.

"Mikey!" Raphael yelled afraid and ran to his brother to help him.

"Don't run to far away turtle. I'm not done with you yet," the woman said behind him.

Raphael clenched irritated his teeth and ignored her comment. He had placed his sai back to his belt before he reached Michelangelo. His youngest brother was unconscious and Raphael didn't like the pale colour in his face. He studied his brother's shell carefully and noticed that Michelangelo had gotten dark bruises after he had hit the fire escape. He had been thrown against the building with a great speed and it was amazing that he was still alive. Raphael closed his eyes in pain and heaved a sigh. He could feel the woman was waiting for his reaction and he looked at her angrily.

"You'll pay for this!" he yelled and rose from the ground.

"Jezz, like I never had heard that before. It is now that I should be terrified?" she asked contemptuously. "Save your breath turtle. It is over your head so why don't you give up while you still got the chance."

Raphael pulled out his weapons and attacked her. She sprang backwards and he raised his sai against her head. She hissed frustrated and turned short to run further into in darkness of the alley. He followed her instantly, determined to block her way. He ran up and jumped over her. She stopped immediately and looked at him open-mouthed but he kicked her in the stomach before she got the time to react.

"I'll never give up," Raphael growled and attacked her again. "When you mess with my brother then you mess with me."

She gasped and rolled to the side before his weapons plunged into her heart. Raphael wouldn't give her the opportunity to get up. He kicked her at her legs every time she tried to rise on her feet. She looked annoyingly towards him as she felt down to the ground and he smirked. He wouldn't give up. He would fight to a finish. She lashed out at him but he dodged easily her blow and threw her away from him. Just then, he tightened his grip on his sai and hurled himself at her body. This time she wouldn't be able to escape from his attack.

"It is over!" Raphael yelled in triumph.

The woman smiled but didn't try to move from her position. Raphael noticed too late that something was wrong about her attitude. She wasn't afraid of him. She placed the palm of her hands against him and he felt that he stopped short in the air. His sais were so close to her that they almost cut her skin but it didn't change the fact that he was unable to move while he hung hopelessly in mid-air. The woman smiled leniently towards him and raised her head so her lips were beside his ear.

"Should I be afraid?" she asked and tried to hide a grin. "I think I got you where I want you, Red. You can't escape."

"You cheat," Raphael reminded her. "You're not any different from Aki. She uses the same trick."

"I'm_ not _like Aki," the woman snapped at him and threw him against the wall. "I'm a lot better than that stupid witch!"

The blow wasn't powerful as her assault on Michelangelo but they both knew that it was on purpose. She didn't wish to kill him yet. He raised his hand to his head, which was throbbing from the pain. The hand was red from the wound from the back of the neck and he could sense that he was getting dizzy. He picked himself determinately up and walked proudly over to her.

"You can't defeat me that easy," Raphael said challengingly. "You can't win this battle unless you use your dirty tricks against me and you know it."

"Really?" the woman said incredulously and her eyes blazed up of anger. "The only important thing is to win the battle no matter what it takes. Don't tell me that you hadn't shared the same thought Red."

Raphael was about to contradict her words when he recalled last night where he had been ready to follow Aki even though he had given his word of honour that he wouldn't. Hadn't he broken his word if his brothers hadn't stopped him?

"You can claim whatever you want, turtle but we are the same," the woman said. "I have no other weapons than my dirty tricks. You had done exactly the same thing in my position to destroy your enemy completely."

He shook his head in the negative. She was trying to fool him to convince him that he was something, he wasn't. She was evil like Shredder. Raphael thought about their old enemy and he grinned because it was ridiculous that she actually compared himself with her and a nasty piece of work like Shredder. It was pure madness! It was true that he loved to fight but he wouldn't kill his opponent if he had knocked him out. He wasn't brought up to believe that. He looked at Michelangelo and pointed accusingly at her.

"You're wrong," he informed her and took one step forward. "We're not the same at all. I have learnt the difference from my father and my brothers make sure that I wouldn't forget it."

"What difference is that?" she asked wonderingly.

"The difference between right and wrong," he answered truthfully. "This is the reason why I will never be like you because you're on the wrong side. You fight for power and your own desires. I would never do that. My brothers were right the entire time. Aki steals the flutes to prevent you from using them to an evil purpose. By all means do interrupt me if I'm mistaken."

"It won't be necessary."

"I thought so," Raphael nodded. "As I said before. You have to go through me to get the flutes from the store."

"That is too bad," the woman said and gave him an ice cold glance. "I actually liked you."

"Don't be sorry," Raphael answered and raised his sai threateningly in front of him. "It is an evil world and I'm the Devil himself."

"Oh but I am sorry," she assured in a calm tone. "I'm afraid that you'll be surprised Red, because I won't let anything stand in my way, not even you. Are you ready to die?"

"You should rather watch your own back," Raphael growled and attacked her.

The woman avoided his weapon once again and twirled out of the way. He had only one possibility left. He had to hit her before she got the time to raise her hand towards him. He didn't have the advantage and they both were aware of the fact that his chances for success were minimal. He aimed a blow at her with his left sai but she spun round and moved in time as he hit the thin air. She smiled superiorly at him when she raised her hand. Raphael gasped and began to run but it was too late. She had him and turned his body in the air so he was standing in front of her. Raphael could feel how she forced his arms to the sides but he was unable to stop her movement though he tried to oppose her with all his might.

"You weren't fast enough," she said gently and stepped closer to touch him on his plastron. "You had your chance but you lost."

"You don't win by cheating," Raphael remarked. "Have you ever heard the expression fair fight? Then you would have lost."

"That is exactly why I don't give a fair fight, understand?" she said mildly and kissed him softly on his cheek. "I'll be a nice girl today and give you a quick death Red."

"Do you want a thank you?" he asked sarcastically.

She shook resignedly her head and turned his back at her. Raphael felt his heart wince as he realized that she would make him fly directly towards the wall near the top of the roof. His face remained expressionless but he was uncomfortable by the thought of the drop from a three storeys high building. It would be painful. The woman caught his hands and loosened his grip around his weapons. He could sense her breath in the back of his head when she placed her face close to his own.

"I'll kill you with one of you sai if you should survive the fall. Afterwards I'll kill your friend with the other one."

"You're really in a generous mood," Raphael said and smirked. "Could I get your name before I finish you off?"

"My name is Rex," the woman whispered. "Bye Red."

Leonardo and Donatello tried vainly several times to contact their brothers. Donatello removed worryingly his microphone and investigated it but there was nothing wrong with the transmitter. He placed it back on his head and searched in his bag. Leonardo bit anxiously his lips.

"What could have happened?"

"The microphones were disconnected," Donatello explained obviously and took out his shell cell. "I don't know what has happened to them, Leo, but something is definitely wrong. They might be in danger."

Leonardo nodded stiff. He recalled his Sensei's words before they left the cave about a great evil. Perhaps it was the mysterious thief who Master Splinter had become aware of that evening. He starred intensely at the shop where Aki had gone. What would happen now? This could be one of the few possibilities to solve the puzzle and get the flute back to April. Donatello looked at his elder brother with a wry smile and sadness in his eyes.

"We get another chance Leo," he said comfortingly.

"We have no idea how many flutes she needs," Leonardo signed despairingly. "Next time could be too late."

"We could always split," Donatello suggested rationally. "You could seek Aki while I check up on our brothers."

"It could be a solution to the problem but I would never forgive myself if something happened to your guys. We're a team and brothers and we help each other no matter what," Leonardo said seriously. "It is just…This could be the last place."

"I can see your point but we can't…"

"No, you're right," Leonardo assured quickly. "It wasn't like that. We won't leave our brothers in the lurch. It is just a shame that she is getting away."

"There are a few places back on the list. We could make surveillance on them later," Donatello said and ran to the Battle Shell. "I have already typed in the coordinates from their shell cells to the computer. We'll be at their position in no time."

"That sounds good," Leonardo said. "I have a bad feeling inside of me. We don't have much time on our hands Donny."

Leonardo settled up front in the passenger's seat and noticed Aki as she was leaving the store. They had been so close! The disappointment about her was as deeply as his concern about his brothers. Had she found all the flutes she needed or wasn't she finished in her search? He had realized that the chances weren't in his favour but he secretly hoped that she needed more flutes. Otherwise, they wouldn't meet her again and he wasn't sure why this thought almost made him cry.

"It is probably because we don't have the identity of this strange enemy that you have this bad feeling," Donatello remarked and shifted the car into gear. "By the way I'm sure that Raph can take care of himself. If we leave you out of account then it is Raph who is the turtle that has the best chances against an unknown enemy."

"I agree with you," Leonardo nodded and removed his glance from the window. "But Michelangelo is also out there. I had a strange feeling about this story from the beginning and I don't like this at all. Don, watch out!"

Donatello's eyes widened alarmed at the sight, slamming his foot at the brake pedal and turned the corner sharply to avoid the big truck in front of the car. He made some sharp turns and overturned a lot of garbage cans on the way. A few seconds later, he slowed down the car and signed in relief.

"I got it under control," he smiled and looked at his elder brother who had become very pale in his face.

"Shit Donny! Couldn't you overturn the rest of the garbage cans on the road?" Leonardo asked ironically, as he gripped the edge of the seat. "Jezz!"

"Hey… Do you want it pretty or effective?"

"Both actually," Leonardo answered and smiled a little. "But you drove well considering that you don't have a license."

"It wasn't a big deal," his brother said. "There isn't any problem when you know the techniques."

"I can imagine. Drive into the alley over there. It is a block from Huang Li's store. We don't know for certain what has happened to Raphael or Michelangelo. It could be nice to have an escape route."

"My thought exactly," Donatello said and stopped the car above a manhole cover. "I'll open the sliding door at the floor in case of we should use the sewers to our escape."

Donatello passed his brother to get to the computer where he keyed in the information. The sliding door had been the first thing, which he had installed in the Battle Shell. It was often convenient to have a short cut to the sewers. He placed his bag on the floor and opened it.

"I have made some special equipment to situations like this one," he told and handed the things to Leonardo. "I have put them down in a small bag which we can keep to our belts."

"Eggs?" Leonardo asked in wonder as he dumped the things from the bag into his hand. "Being familiar with your nature then these eggs aren't normal."

"Not at all," Donatello laughed and took more eggs out his own bag. "The eggs have the wildest properties that you have ever dreamt of. The red ones are small bombs while the blue ones are harmless smoke bombs."

"What about the orange and purple eggs?" asked Leonardo curiously.

"The orange egg in your hand contains laughing gas," his younger brother informed with a wry smile. "Mikey has given me some inspiration. The purple egg is itching powder."

"Fine," Leonardo nodded and opened the door. "We must hurry to Huang Li's store. There is no time to lose."

"Yes Boss," Donatello obeyed and left his bag in the Battle Shell. It would be a burden to him if they needed to fight.

Raphael waited for the final blow from Rex but it never came. He was very surprised when he suddenly heard her scream. At this time, he realized that he was able to move and he dropped abruptly to the ground.

"Keep your dirty hands from my brother or I'll kick your butt, lady!" Michelangelo said while he swung his nunchakus violently in the air. "Seriously butt-kicking is back in town."

Raphael groaned with pain and he had a hard time getting up. His whole body was shaking and he still felt dizzy because of the wound in the back of his neck but he didn't care less about his pain. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so happy in his life. His brother was fine and that was the only thing that mattered to him. Michelangelo hold out his hand, helped him up, and gave him a faint smile.

"Are you okay bro?"

"Yeah. It wasn't one of your best ones," Raphael said warmly. "But it will do."

"I'm under a great pressure at the moment," Michelangelo apologised and looked at Rex who hadn't moved since he kicked her to the ground. "She is a strong woman."

"It is good to see you Mikey," Raphael said and gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "It isn't fun if you aren't here."

"I know just what you mean Raph," Michelangelo said confidently. "I would also miss myself."

"Jerk," Raphael said and smiled.

Rex made a weak movement with her hand. Raphael reacted fast within a second before she was able to defend herself. He was furious and his eyes flashed with anger as he took a firm grip around her wrists. He twisted them behind her back and held her tightly against his own body.

"Who is afraid now, woman?" he laughed evilly in her ear. "I got you exactly where I want you. You can't throw us away with your pretty hands and you can't escape either. I owe you a good turtle beating if I'm not mistaken, Rex."

She ignored his words completely. She couldn't take her eyes of Michelangelo who had placed his weapon back into his belt. He returned coldly her confused look.

"It is pay back time," he said and clenched his fists.

"How were you able to rise so soon?" Rex asked wonderingly. "I threw you against the wall with a power which could have killed a human."

"If you haven't notice, lady, we aren't humans," Michelangelo responded. "We are ninja turtles."

"If you think that you have me under your thumb, then you're making a big mistake. Isn't it one of the first rules in Martial Arts that you never must underestimate your enemy?" she asked sarcastically.

"What do you mean?" Raphael asked annoyed by her calm behaviour and tightened his grip. "You can't move."

"I don't need to," she answered and whispered lowly so Raphael was the only one who could hear her next words. "Bye Red, sais!"

He couldn't have done anything to stop her. His weapons appeared in her hands and with a quick movement, she had forced her arms to the sides. It happened so fast that he didn't have a chance to avoid the attack. He had forgotten in one fatal moment that she also had the ability to receive things to her hands when she asked for them. He paid dearly for his mistake as his sais cut into his plastron and he shrieked with pain. He dropped down on his knees, his body was trembling, and he felt like he was going to throw up. He could taste the blood in his mouth and he couldn't see a thing. Rex remained expressionless when he fainted and turned to Michelangelo who attacked her immediately.

Rex had a hard time escaping from him. Michelangelo was capable of controlling his nunchakus with a strong hand and he didn't hesitate to attack her. He was beyond angry, he was mad and he had quite enough of her cowardly behaviour. The price had been too high as Raphael lay unconscious and badly hurt on the ground. Michelangelo hoped silently that his brother's hard plastron had managed to resist must of the damage. Rex raised her weapons and threw her against him but Michelangelo could feel it without seeing it and with perfect accuracy, he rolled over and raised his own weapons as a shield. Rex tried to hit him again, coming closer than he was comfortable with, and he ducked to avoid the deadly sai and kicked at her. He smiled wide as she tried to regain her balance.

"Can't you do better?" he asked provocatively and sighed deeply. "It is almost disappointing. I have fought against an old grandfather who was better than you."

"It'll be the last words coming from your mouth," Rex snapped angrily and raised her hand towards him.

Michelangelo had seen it coming and jumped to the side before she got the chance to aim a blow at him. His skills with his body were absolutely amazing. Wherefore it was a piece of cake to escape from her when he noticed her hand turning towards him.

"You must be faster to defeat me," he teased and kicked her in the back.

"Shut up you freak!" she yelled and tried to hit him with the sai.

Michelangelo was able to get his nunchakus around her weapons with one elegant movement. He forced quickly the sais right out of her hands before she realized what had happened to her. He put down one of weapons in his belt and hit her on the nose with his fist.

"Normally I wouldn't hit a woman but you're the exception," he said seriously. "No more mister nice guy."

Rex tried to avoid his attack but he stroke at her from different angles. He knew precisely where he should hit her. He went for the nose, the lower ribs, the jaw, her arms and her legs. Rex groaned and made a new attempt to throw him away from her but he vanished in the same moment as she raised her hand. Rex felt fear when she couldn't see him in the alley. Where had he gone? Michelangelo smiled from his hiding spot above her head. He waited in the shadows to make his move and he dropped down silently behind her back. Rex screamed when he knocked her to the ground.

"Do you give up, lady?" Michelangelo asked but she didn't make a response.

Rex had other things to worry about and ignored his comment. She licked her lips and tasted the blood that was coming from her nose. Rex cursed while she looked at the dark colour. That annoying turtle had given her nosebleed!

She couldn't defeat him the same way as she had beaten the other turtle. He was too fast but she knew he had a weakness. She had always found a weakness when she fought against an opponent. She didn't moved at all when she sensed that he was coming nearer towards her. This could maybe be her chance if he got a little bit closer.

"Don't touch her, Mikey!" ordered a familiar voice in the distance.

"Leo! Oh, it just great to see you, guys," Michelangelo shouted relieved and turned his back to her.

"That is going to be your last mistake in life, turtle," Rex whispered ice coldly and raised the palm of her hand in the air.

Michelangelo didn't realize that happened to him. The wind was so strong that he hit the wall with full power. He groaned shortly and felt enormous pain throughout his whole body. Then everything turned to blackness.

"Nooo!" Leonardo cried out with panic in his voice and ran to his youngest brother. "Michelangelo!"

Her eyes shined in triumph as she rose from the ground with difficulty. Her body was hurt and was in great pain but she didn't care about her condition. She starred in shock at Leonardo who examined his brother's injuries. How many turtles were there in the streets of New York? Rex didn't want to fight against the newcomer but she couldn't escape either. After all, she ought to destroy them while she had the possibility but it was difficult to think when the pains were killing her. She glanced expressionless at Leonardo.

"He had it coming," she said and tried to stop her voice from shaking from the pain in her neck. "You should leave or join his destiny."

"Who are you?" asked Leonardo and removed his attention away from Michelangelo. "You have no honour when you attack a wounded warrior from the back."

"My name is Rex and I do as I please. Honour means nothing," Rex said carelessly." Do you want to join your friends?"

"They are my brothers," Leonardo answered and returned her glance. "You'll better pray that we won't meet again because I won't let you get away next time."

"What?" Rex asked confused but Leonardo had already taken the red egg from his small bag and thrown it against her.

"Donatello, you take Raphael!" Leonardo commanded and placed Michelangelo's body over his right shoulder.

Rex shrieked when the egg came towards her and even though she ran a few steps away then it was impossible to avoid the blow completely. The pressure from the explosion threw her over the ground. Nobody cared to see how she was doing. Donatello held his elder brother tightly to his own body and retreated to the manhole cover. Leonardo laid Michelangelo carefully down on the ground and removed the cover.

"What about her?" Donatello asked and looked with concern at Rex who was trying to get up. "Shouldn't we stop her?"

"We can't take any risks," Leonardo said and threw another two eggs.

The purple egg flew with lightning speed and cracked on her back. The blue egg was smashed on the ground and they were covered by the thick smoke. Leonardo put his arm around his youngest brother and gazed at Donatello who had Raphael in his arms.

"The wind, which she made against Michelangelo, was very powerful. I noticed that she had several wounds but it would still be a great risk to fight. Besides we need to get our brothers to safety."

"I totally agree," Donatello said and closed the manhole cover. "Do you think that she would follow us?"

"No," Leonardo answered and climbed down the latter. "She wants the flutes. We can't do anything more tonight."

"Shall we investigate the stores later by ourselves?" asked Donatello worryingly as they went through the dark tunnels. "I'm not sure about Raph but it seems like Mikey can't help us for some time."

"I don't know," Leonardo sighed heavily. "We are stronger together than alone but I can't ignore the fact that we must find Aki before it is too late."

"We'll figure it out tomorrow," Donatello said optimistically.

"I hope so Don. I really hope so!"

The brothers climbed out of the sewer in silence. They were both very concerned about the future. Would they be able to solve the mystery about the strange flutes and would they be able to find a way to defeat their new enemy? It was questions without answers.

A/N: Now you know why the story is named "Rex". Something I really enjoys about the new cartoon is that there are several villains in their life besides Shredder. I hope you liked the chapter. I'm working on the next one, which should be ready next Friday.


	5. The prohibition

A/N: Hi… Here is the next chapter. It took a long time to translate because I'm studying to be teacher and I got a lot of work to do besides writing on this story. Therefore, the next chapter will be finished in about two weeks from now. Enjoy…

Donatello carried Raphael carefully into the cave. Leonardo was walking at his heels after they had left the elevator, which had taken them below the old abandoned warehouse. Raphael moaned with pain when his brother laid him gently down on the sofa. They exchanged glances and Raphael swallowed, deeply moved by the compassion in his younger brother's eyes. Leonardo smiled encouragingly and averted his eyes away from him.

"I'll talk with Master Splinter," he said shortly before he went into Michelangelo's bedroom with his youngest brother in his strong arms.

Donatello took a deep breath and walked to the kitchen, searching for a white bowl and a clean towel. There were so many different thoughts and worries in his mind, which made him confused and frustrated.

Raphael had regained consciousness on the way home. Donatello had been at his side, examining his elder brother's wounds, which hadn't looked as dangerous as he had thought at the time where he carried Raphael to the car. Donatello touched the cold water in the bowl with his fingertips and stroked absent-minded his own hard plastron. Raphael wouldn't have survived the attack if he hadn't been a turtle. His sais, which Rex had used against him, had made some big scratches in his plastron but they weren't serious wounds.

Donatello feared most for the wound on the back of his neck. It was pretty bad and his brother had lost a lot of blood. He grabbed thoughtfully the bowl with water and walked out of the kitchen. Splinter had arrived and was standing beside Raphael. Donatello stopped one second, unable to speak, when he saw the worrying and loving glance in his father's eyes. Donatello laid silently the bowl on the coffee table and gave the towel to the old rat. Master Splinter turned his son's body on the side to clean the wound and Donatello winced when he got a clear sight of the neck. It looked really bad though the bleeding had slowed a bit since he last checked in the Battle Shell. Master Splinter made a wry face when he gently began applying pressure to the wound with the towel, which was soaked through in a matter of minutes.

"Will he be okay, Sensei?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"We have to hope for the best, my son," the rat replied as he wringed out the towel in the water, which became red from the blood. "But I have faith. Your brother has a strong soul and an amazing will to live. The wounds on his plastron aren't deadly but we have to stop immediately his bleeding from his neck. Otherwise he will die from the loss of blood."

His father applied even more pressure to the wound but he was still careful. This time the towel wasn't nearly as bloody as the added pressure began slowing the blood flow. Donatello watched nervously as his father removed the bloody towel from the wound. He was a technical genius, not a great doctor, and it made him a bit ill to his stomach to see so much blood but he had to stay strong.

"Will he survive?" he mumbled finally because he couldn't get the question out. It was just too painful.

"He will," Splinter stated seriously and nodded with an anguished look in his face. "He needs time to recover his wounds but he will survive, my son."

Donatello heaved a sigh of relief and realized that his father could be right. When Master Splinter had cleaned the neck from the blood, he could see the wound clearly. It was a small long slash, which crossed the neck, but they had at least a chance now to save his brother's life because the blood had stopped for the most part. Splinter dropped the towel on the floor and laid his hands investigating around the wound. He studied it carefully and looked at Donatello.

"Please get me the first-aid box," he said and placed Raphael's head softly on the pillow. "No, you better get me a needle and a thread too. We need to stitch up the wound and give it time to heal in peace then we can take the stitches out of the wound."

"Is it that serious?" Raphael's voice sounded lowly. "It is just a slight pain in the neck, that's all!"

"It is possible but it would be a shame if the wound became inflamed because of it," Splinter pointed out with a dry smile.

At this time, Donatello was on his way to his workshop where he kept the first-aid box. He turned on the light and walked through the doorway to his laboratory, which had been built in an old New York subway train. The box was easy to see and was placed on the shelf in the corner. Splinter had insisted that the first-aid box remained in his workshop if his son was injured during one of his experiments.

Donatello had among other things explosive chemicals in his workshop and it could become very dangerous if he wasn't careful. The technical turtle hadn't raised any objections to his father's orders because he was aware of the risks. He sighed as he remembered the few times where he had almost burned Michelangelo who had this annoying habit that he liked to surprise him when he used his welding apparatus on his inventions.

The thought about the laughing turtle stopped his movement instantly and he felt a lump in his throat. He felt like crying. Was the prankster all right? He hadn't seen him since Leonardo carried him to his room. He had looked absolutely awful when they saved him from the woman. Donatello tried hardly to control his feelings and the great sadness in his heart but he was unable to prevent that a few tears trickled down his cheek. He sniffled and wiped it away from his face before he continued his walk out of the workshop with the box in his hands.

"Good, Donatello," Master Splinter said gratefully and received the box. "Now don't make one movement Raphael."

"No problem, Sensei," Raphael replied calmly and didn't moved a muscle. "Set to work. I'm ready."

Donatello sat down on the sofa next to him and laid his hand on Raphael's arm, squeezing it lightly. His elder brother didn't show any signs that he felt the pain as Master Splinter made the stitches across his wound but Donatello wanted to assure him that he was there for him if he needed some support.

"How is it doing Raph?"

"I've been better," he admitted bitterly. "How did it go with Rex? Did you manage to catch her?"

"No," Donatello answered sadly. "She got away."

"Damn," he groaned and took a deep breath while he tried to relax. "Why did you let her get away?"

"We had to run away from her and carry you and Michelangelo to safety," Donatello explained.

"What did you?" Raphael burst out by his younger brother's explanation. "My wounds weren't so serious that you were unable to fight with her. You could have defeated her…."

Donatello writhed under his words of reproach and he felt uncomfortable. The fact of the matter was that there had been a possibility. He couldn't deny that they maybe had had a chance to beat her if they had chosen to fight against her instead of running away from her. It was true that they had stood a chance against her, but the risks had been too great. Donatello wasn't proud of their decision but he didn't regret it either. His brothers had been hurt when they had arrived to the shop. The only concern had been their brothers' safety and he didn't care what Raphael had to say about their actions. It had been the right decision.

"Your brothers had to make a choice," Master Splinter interrupted sharply. "They couldn't leave you and Michelangelo unprotected on the ground. Indeed your injuries weren't deadly, but we weren't able to see it until we cleaned your wound in the neck. Nevertheless these injuries are serious enough, Raphael. You should be grateful that you're still alive. You may turn around now, I'm finished."

"I'm sorry Don," Raphael apologized honestly, when he noticed the sadness in his brother's eyes. "I didn't mean that I said. I'm just so angry that she got away but it isn't your fault. It is…"

Raphael stopped talking and didn't continue. Raphael blamed himself for his own failure in the battle. Donatello's face brightened by his excuse and he smiled a little. Raphael wasn't the one of the turtles who made an apology very often. Actually, it was a rare thing to hear from him. This was the reason why Donatello knew that he was sincere about it. Raphael had placed his arm absently under his aching neck when he suddenly realized what his younger brother had said to him a moment earlier.

"What has happened to Mikey?" he asked worryingly and looked at Donatello. "You said that you had to carry him to safety."

"Michelangelo is very hurt, Raphael," Splinter said as he rose from the floor. "You must rest now, my son. I have to go and examine your brother."

"Is it that serious?" Raphael said incredulously and he was trying to get up from the sofa. "I got to see him."

"You're going nowhere!" Master Splinter commanded in a harsh voice, which didn't open to discussion. "You'll remain on the sofa and give your wounds time to heal. You can see your brother later."

"Yes Master Splinter," Raphael replied reluctantly and faced Donatello. "Tell me how he is doing when you come back."

"I will," Donatello promised with warmth in his eyes.

He hurried with the old rat to Michelangelo's bedroom, which was very special furnished. It was quite a big mess in the room, which was filled with all sorts of things. A surfboard in amazing colours hung on the right wall but it was rare that Michelangelo got the opportunity to use it. They didn't have the big waves down in the sewers. Under the board there was placed a bookcase where his youngest brother kept his comics and a jukebox, which Donatello had found at one of the junkyards. It had been broken but he had fixed the problem in no time. It had been the perfect gift for Michelangelo last Christmas. A little square table and an orange sack chair, which was his brother's favourite, were placed at the wall in front of him.

Michelangelo loved to play and he had made his own bowling alley next to the sack chair. He had also gotten himself a drum set which was placed near the left wall. He had almost driven them up the wall, especially Raphael, when he had played with it during the night, but he couldn't help feeling that it didn't mean anything at all. His brother was hurt and maybe dying. He felt tears sting his eyes and he shook his head to remove the depressive thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus and help his family.

Donatello fought his way through the mess in the room and stopped in front of Leonardo who had laid their brother on a tick blanket. His bed, which had been built in the middle of the left wall, was too high. It had the same height as a bunk bed and it would be a bad idea to carry him to the bed when he had so many wounds on his body. Leonardo had laid a cold cloth on his forehead, which was wet with sweat. His brother turned around as they stopped their movements. Donatello could see the pain in his eyes and was unable to speak. He knew exactly what he was going through.

"How is he doing?" Splinter asked concerned and sat down by his side. "He doesn't look well."

"It had become worse," Leonardo informed and pointed at the dark blue bruises on his shell. "It is incredible that he was able to stand when we came to the store. He had received some heavy blows from her."

"There can also be injures which we can't see," Donatello remarked and sat opposite his eldest brother. "He could have internal bleeding or injuries."

"It is possible," Splinter agreed and placed his hand at his son's plastron. "It seems that it is his back which had been affected the most but I won't reject the chance that there is a fracture somewhere. Your bones in your body are still fragile even though your shell protects you from most of the damage."

"He was thrown against the wall with an incomprehensible speed," Leonardo said gloomily. "It was an ambush."

"Was this person Aki?" Splinter asked curiously, wringing out the cloth and replacing it on his son's forehead. "You gave me the impression that she wasn't evil."

"It isn't Aki who is doing this, Sensei," Donatello answered while he stroked Michelangelo's head softly. "I believe that her name was Rex or something like that."

"Rex? It sounds like a man."

"I don't think she would agree with you, Master Splinter," Leonardo said with a little wry smile, which quickly disappeared. "I must say that she was a beautiful woman. When she looked at me, I was stunned by her beauty until I saw her eyes. They showed a flame of hate and evil inside of her and yet they showed an ice-cold indifference to any other living being. She reminded me of Shredder."

Donatello shuddered when his brother mentioned the name. Shredder was a terrible enemy and he was inclined to agree with him. She had share the same indifference to life as Shredder. She was a tough woman who wouldn't let anyone stand in her way. It was an alarming characteristic. Splinter shook resignedly his head. He had felt this evil, this woman, before his sons went to the stores.

"We have to be careful, my sons," he said frankly. "If she possesses this power, which you have explained to me, then she is a danger to all of us. Perhaps she is even stronger than you are. I'm afraid, worried and doubtful at the same time. Maybe it would be the best to stop while we have the chance in our hand."

"We can't do that. We have to stop her from taking the flutes Master Splinter. We are convinced that she will use the flutes for an evil purpose," Leonardo protested and couldn't believe his own ears. "Innocent people are going to suffer from it. We can't let it happen."

"But it is just a theory, isn't it?" Splinter pointed out bluntly. "As far as I can see, you know nothing about her or the flutes."

"We have a little information about the flutes," Donatello defended and received at hard glance from the old rat.

"That isn't good enough!"

"I can't prove my claim that she would use the flutes for an evil purpose yet, Sensei," Leonardo admitted reluctantly. "But we have experienced that she would do anything to get the flutes. She would kill innocent people to get them if she has to."

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter exclaimed and looked seriously at his confused son. "We can't take the problems of the world on our shoulders. The load is too heavy."

"But, Sensei…"

"And you have to face the fact that Rex almost killed your brothers tonight," Splinter interrupted. "We're not even sure that Michelangelo will live through the night. He is very hurt and I won't let it happen again. You must not fight against Rex. I forbid it!"

"I don't wish that anything should happen to my family, but we can't give up on this, Sensei," Leonardo contradicted. "It wasn't our responsibility in the beginning but the things have changed. If we don't stop her from getting the flutes, she could do a great harm to the humans above. Can we live with that?"

"You'll have to," Splinter stated firmly. "At least for now. This is only temporary, Leonardo, until we find a better solution to our problems. We can't face an unknown enemy. It is too dangerous and you would be killed in the end. At the present, you mustn't follow Rex or Aki. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sensei," Leonardo replied and kept his eyes strictly to the floor. "We are clear."

Splinter starred sadly at his son until he had left the room. The prohibition had been necessity. However, would it be enough to stop Leonardo's sense of duty? The old rat had his doubts. Leonardo didn't understand that his father only wanted to protect them from harm. They weren't ready to face Rex yet. Donatello looked in his direction and turned his attention back to Michelangelo who was still unconscious. His brother was very pale and his breathing was weak. Master Splinter wringed the cloth again.

"You'll better speak with your brother, Donatello. I'll give a word to you if something happens."

"I don't want to leave Mikey," Donatello said and faced his father. "I can't leave him until he is okay. Moreover, I want to learn, Sensei. I want to be able to assist you if somebody gets hurt. This isn't the first time these things happen and I'm convinced that it won't be the last."

"I understand, my son," Splinter nodded and smiled a little. "You have many skills but I'm glad that you're willing to learn the medical knowledge. I have leaned a lot about medicinal plants from my time in Japan from my Master Yoshi. I have done everything in my power to help your brother. Luckily, it doesn't seem that he has broken anything. Now we'll have to wait and hope for the best."

Donatello sighed deeply because of the powerlessness he felt inside of himself. Yes, he wanted to learn everything about the medical science from his father and books about the subject. He couldn't do much for his brother at this moment but Donatello promised himself that it would be the last time. Splinter and Donatello had both decided to watch over Michelangelo the whole night to make sure that he would survive.

Leonardo was pacing back in forth in the big room of the cave. Why did Master Splinter make his prohibition? Didn't he understand how important it was to find Aki and solve the mystery of the flutes? Leonardo looked puzzled at his reflection in the lake, which was in the middle of the cave. He didn't know what to do.

"Rex is just like Shredder," he mumbled. "If the flutes grant her the gift of power, then she won't go only after the humans. After our escape, she wants to hunt us down. She will never forget that we tried to stand in her way. She wants her revenge and we won't be safe."

"For once I agree with you, Leo," Raphael's voice sounded hoarsely from the sofa. "She is a crazy lady."

"How are you feeling?" Leonardo asked and sat down on the coffee table so they were able to talk face to face.

"I'll be fine," Raphael assured with a slight grin and rose. "Enough about me how is Mikey?"

"Not good," Leonardo replied honestly. "His condition has gotten worse."

"I had a blackout after she attacked me with my own weapons. What happened to him?"

"Rex used her hand trick when he had turned his back to her. He fainted when he hit the wall."

"That dirty little snake," Raphael hissed angrily. "She'll regret when I get my hands on her."

"It won't happen right now Raph," Leonardo said while he unsheathed one of his katanas. "Master Splinter has made a prohibition. We mustn't follow Rex or Aki for that matter."

"And?"

"We won't," Leonardo said calmly and turned the sword in his hand, waiting silently for his brother's reaction. He didn't have to wait long.

"You can't be serious!" Raphael objected wildly and looked at his brother with disbelief in his eyes. "Why?"

"Because it is too dangerous," his elder brother answered while his eyes turned to the back of his neck. "Your wound should be proof enough. By the way Master Splinter says that it isn't our responsibility."

"So we're not doing anything about it?"

"It would definitely be the wisest decision," Leonardo nodded and sheathed his sword. "But would it be the right decision? It troubles my mind."

"She is like Shredder," Raphael pointed out. "She is a danger to her surroundings. She told me how she was going to kill Mikey though he was unable to defend himself. We can't let her escape, Leo, and you know it. She is going to kill us without hesitation if we don't fight back and stop her before it is too late."

"We can't do that," Leonardo rejected firmly. "Even if we decided to offend against Master Splinter's order, we need to fight against her as a team. We're stronger when we work together. If Mikey survives from her attack, then it is going to take some time before he has recovered his whole strength."

"If he survives…" Raphael repeated and stopped.

"I'm inquiring into the matter in perspective," Leonardo continued. "In that way I won't offend against the prohibition. I'm going to have a talk with Donny and find the true facts of the case."

"What do you mean?"

"We have the suspicion that Rex want to use the flutes for an evil purpose but we don't what properties the flutes have," Leonardo explained. "We could find a way to defeat Rex if we found something about her or the flutes and use it against her. If it is as badly as I think it is, then we need to find Aki. She isn't our enemy and she could use our help."

"Are you willing to offend against Master Splinter's order?" Raphael asked astonishingly.

At this moment, he couldn't recognize his brother. It was so unlike his nature to disobey orders from their Sensei even when he didn't agree with him. What had changed him?

"Yes but it'll be the last choice. Master Splinter won't like it but I have to follow my heart," Leonardo admitted and blushed a little. "Aki is the only person who got the answers to our questions and she is in a great danger. Master Splinter wants to know who Rex is. He wishes to find out why she wants the flutes and he believes that if we have these facts about her, then we're able to figure out her weakness. I'll give him the information he needs to know before it gets dark outside."

"And if you don't find anything?"

"Then we're going looking for Aki anyway," he said.

"If you insist," Raphael said and smiled.

Leonardo was silent and looked up as Donatello walked towards them. He noticed that his younger brother had tears in his eyes and it tugged at his heartstrings by the sight. Raphael looked at his direction and turned on the sofa to face Donatello. He made as if to ask a question but he couldn't get the words over his lips, which were dry as sandpaper. It was Leonardo who finally found the courage to ask the question, which could hold the answer, they feared the most.

"Is he...?"

"No," Donatello sniffed and smiled with relief as he wiped off his tears. "Mikey has regained consciousness a few minutes ago. He feels a lot of pain but it doesn't seem like he has an internal bleeding or a broken bone. Master Splinter believes that he is over the worst. He is going to be fine, guys."

Leonardo and Raphael shouted with joy over the great news and they all laughed together. Michelangelo was going to survive and it was the only thing that mattered. In this second they forgot all the worries about Rex, it didn't cross their mind one time. They shared their feelings and thoughts about their brave youngest brother who had managed to returned to life. Donatello and Leonardo grabbed on Raphael's shoulders and supported him on the way to Michelangelo's room. Their father was sitting on the floor at his son's side and he had tears of happiness in his eyes. Michelangelo was still pale but he had a cheerful grin on his face as he waved his hand to them.

"Hi bros. I understand that you've missed me," he said lively.

"We sure did," Raphael said warm-hearted while a single tear trickled down his cheek. "We were afraid that you won't be able to find your way back to us."

"You don't rid of me that easy," Michelangelo said and gave them a serious glance. "You're my family. I'll always try to find my way back to you. Always!"

A/N: YES, he survived! I hope you liked the chapter, please review! Seeing you in about two weeks!


	6. New Clues

A/N: Hi… I have finally translated the next chapter. I'm so glad to hear that my writing has improved. This story is my first translation from a Danish story and it was wonderful to know that I'm getting better.

It was terrible when he woke up the next morning. Michelangelo wished at once that he was able to go back to sleep and escape from the horrible pains inside his body. It was torture to lie on his back and the black bruises on his shell hurt so much that he turned on the sides all the time though it didn't made a difference. His whole body was covered with black, blue and even purple bruises. He felt like he had come across a giant hammer, which had been using him as a punching bag. The thought about the stupid hammer brought a little smile on his face but it quickly fainted away as he grimaced with pain and grinded his teeth. Michelangelo groaned and stared at his body. It looked ugly.

"How are you feeling Mikey?"

Michelangelo raised his eyes and smiled as he saw Raphael entering the room. His brother had the same gloomy expression but Michelangelo thought for a moment that he could see some concern in his eyes. Raphael was an expert to hide his feelings but Michelangelo knew with certainty that he had seen it. His elder brother had also showed a rare side of himself. Raphael had been nice to him since last night, but Michelangelo was aware that it wouldn't last forever. Raphael behaved only like a good turtle when someone in his family was hurt or needed his help.

"My back is killing me," he confided to him.

"I know what you're going through," Raphael said and pointed at the wound on the back of his neck. "I have had a splitting headache since I woke up this morning."

"It looks awful," Michelangelo commented.

"Then you should see your shell," Raphael smiled and sat down on the floor next to him. "I can't believe how you survived from her attack. You haven't broken any bones either. You're one lucky turtle."

"We both are."

"Do you need anything?"

Michelangelo sniffed into the room and gasped as his stomach rumbled by hunger. He could smell the delicious breakfast in his bedroom and he was hungry.

"Could I get some food, please?" Michelangelo asked and looked at his elder brother with puppy eyes. "I could eat at horse right now."

"You're just fine," Raphael nodded and rose from the ground. "It is good news. You'll have to be in a good shape when we're going to fight against Rex."

"You're joking, right?" Michelangelo exclaimed unbelievingly and winced as Raphael's eyes flashed with irritation at him. "She kicked our shells and nearly got us killed. How can you even consider a new battle with her? You must be out of your mind Raph!"

"Chicken," Raphael sneered at him and glanced above his shoulder. "I'll get some food."

Michelangelo tried to relax and leaned against the wall. It was impossible. He could sense his fear and wasn't able to calm down. His hands were shaken by the thought of the battle the previous night. Rex was powerful and she was merciless. He didn't want to fight her again. She hadn't been a great fighter but he was still scared of her because of her magical powers. He knew that Donny hadn't accepted the truth yet but he was convinced that Rex was some sort of magician. Raphael seemed to notice that he was in low spirits because he stopped his movement and turned around to face him.

"Just take it easy Mike. We won't struggle against Rex any time soon. We've need more information about her. Besides Master Splinter has made a prohibition. We aren't allowed to find her or Aki so we're keeping a low profile at the moment."

"Low profile sounds good," Michelangelo said slowly whereupon he looked suspiciously at him. "If Master Splinter had forbidden it, then why are we trying to find her?"

Raphael shook his head and left his brother without answering him. It wasn't the right time to tell him their plans. It was important that he recovered his strength before they told him everything. Raphael passed into the kitchen, taking the bowl with the scrambled eggs and tipped it on a plate. He smirked as he recalled the minutes before breakfast where Donatello had offered to make a slap-up meal to his family. Fortunately, Leonardo was on his toes and had stopped him before he had made a total disaster but it had been close though. Raphael had had a hard time trying to hide his grin when his genius brother had looked at their leader with a confused glint in his eyes. That turtle was the worst cook in the world and the biggest problem was that he hadn't become aware of it. Raphael looked thoughtfully in the air when Leonardo walked into the room with dirty plates in his hands.

"How is he?" Leonardo asked, while he put the plates down in the sink.

"He is getting better," Raphael assured and turned around. "He is hungry."

"It doesn't surprise me. He is going to need it too," Leonardo said, leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. "It is incredible that he survived through the night. He was thrown against the wall and landed hardly on the ground faster than I could react."

"Rex said that the wind had been so powerful that it would have killed a human," Raphael told him. "The only reasonable explanation would be that our shells must protect us somehow from most of the damage."

"Now you sound just like me," Donatello remarked, passing past them to the counter with the last plates, and added with a smile. "Your own wound doesn't look so bad either. It is also a possibility that our mutation has increased the natural protection in our bodies and the shells. I must say that it is an excellent theory, which I'll look into the future. Moreover I think that you have to take it slow for a while."

"And what are you? A doctor?" asked Raphael ironically, looking at him with a contrary gaze.

"No, but it is Master Splinter's orders. You'll have to relax at least a few days so your wound gets time to heal," Donatello explained. "By the way I have talked with Master Splinter and he want to teach me his medical skills."

"That sounds good Donny," Leonardo said.

"I don't want to relax," Raphael objected. "Frankly, I would rather teach that woman a lesson. When I get my hands on her then she is going to wish that she had left this city a long time ago."

"If she hasn't done that already," Donatello pointed out and stared defensively at his brothers' distrust. "Come on, we can't ignore the fact that Rex perhaps has found the flutes, she needed."

"Aki still got some of the flutes," Leonardo reminded him. "We're certain that she has the one from April's store. Rex can't leave New York until she has all the flutes in her possession."

"This is another problem. We can't be sure that she hasn't found Aki. Aki might as well be dead now.."

"Don't say that!" Leonardo snapped sharply at him. "Aki is alive. I can feel it in my heart!"

"Leonardo, cool off!" Donatello ordered, surprised by his brother's behaviour. "I didn't mean it like that, but there is a chance that they have met each other during last night. We don't know anything."

He was right. Leonardo couldn't face his brothers who gazed worryingly at him and he hung his head shamefully. He hadn't meant to yell at his little brother. What had gotten in to him? It wasn't like him to lose his temper. That was Raphael's department, not his.

"I'm sorry Don," he apologized quietly. "I don't know what happened to me."

"That would make two of us," Raphael remarked rigidly. "It isn't like I don't want to continue this interesting conversation but our youngest brother is hungry and I don't want him to yell at me because he believes that he is going to die of starvation."

Leonardo looked at Donatello who had turned his attention to the dishwashing. He grabbed one of the tea towels on the wall and received the first plate.

"I'm really sorry, Donny," Leonardo repeated sadly.

"Don't worry about it. It is not your fault," his little brother said softly and smiled. "I forgive you."

"It is not that…" he started, quietly, but then trailed off.

Donatello waited patiently for him to continue but Leonardo couldn't explain why he had reacted this way. His feelings were so confusing that it was impossible to describe even to him. Donatello studied his face carefully and decided that it was best to leave it alone for a while.

"I'll search after the flutes again on the internet," Donatello said and changed the subject.

"Fine."

"Maybe I'll be able to find the connection in this mystery," Donatello continued and heaved a sigh. "I can feel that the solution is near. We'll just have to find it."

"You don't have much time Donny," Leonardo said calmly and received a plate from his brother. "We have one day to find the proof which we need to convince Master Splinter that we have to find Aki and stop Rex before it is too late."

"I'll take a look at it right away," Donatello said. "Then I'll get to you if I find something."

"Perfect," Leonardo said and put the towel down on the table. "It would be best if we hold the meeting in Mikey's room this afternoon while Master Splinter is meditating. He won't let us go out unless we got some proof. If you ask me, this prohibition is preposterous."

"What do you mean?" asked the purple-masked turtle in wonder.

"I can't understand why he got so upset about the matter. We have fought against Shredder. I mean, it is not like we haven't met evil villains before."

"He is scared Leo," Donatello said quietly. "I have seen it before when you were attacked by the Foot soldiers."

"What?"

Leonardo cast his mind back to the time where Shredder and his Foot soldiers had attacked him on the rooftops. He had tried to escape but he had been caught the next second. So much fear and pain blocked his memory. He couldbarely remember that he was thrown off the roof and landed at April's apartment. They had barely escaped from the place alive but he couldn't remember that his father had been scared.

"You didn't see the look in his eyes, when you used your last strength to prevent the blow from Shredder," Donatello explained to his silent question. "He was scared Leo that you wouldn't survive."

"What are you trying to tell me Don?"

"If we had decided that day to find Shredder and stop him, then he would have reacted the same way as he did last night. He thinks that it is wiser to wait some time and save our strength for the next battle."

"Aki doesn't have the time," Leonardo said and looked at his brother with a sad expression in his face. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to her."

"I know that," Donatello said and looked straight into his eyes while he rested his hand on his shoulder. "That is why I'm helping you."

Leonardo smiled gratefully at his younger brother. Donatello averted his eyes and left the room to seek more information on the internet. Leonardo took a deep breath while he placed the last plates on the shelf. He was lost in thought. It was his responsibility and duty as the leader of the small group to make plans for events of the evening to make sure that everything turned out as expected. Leonardo was a person who thought out a plan through before he decided to use it but he had also learned to trust his instincts. Master Splinter had told him that they were a gift, which he could use as an advantage in many ways.

Leonardo cleaned the table and hung the towel back on the wall. All of a sudden, he wished that Master Splinter hadn't forbidden them to follow Aki. Then he didn't have to feel guilty. Donatello had told him that their father was scared and he believed that his brother was right but Aki wasn't the enemy. He felt deep inside his heart that she was a great part of the mystery. It rankled in his mind that he wasn't able to control his emotions. His father had said to him that they couldn't take the problems of the world on their shoulders but he didn't agree with him. It had become their responsibility, his responsibility, to save Aki and to stop Rex before she hurt anybody. When he thought about it, he was certain by his decision but was painful nonetheless. He hoped that Donatello found something about the flutes. Otherwise, he had to go against his own father.

"Would it surprise you if I told that our brother almost ate the food in two seconds?" Raphael asked and interrupted his thoughts.

"No, actually it wouldn't," Leonardo replied and turned to face him. "He has a good appetite."

"It is extraordinary," Raphael exclaimed and laughed. "He swallowed the entire meal and I had to snatch the plate out of his hands or he would have eaten that too."

Leonardo chuckled as he pictured Raphael who tried to rescue the poor plate before it was lost to Michelangelo's stomach. He shook his head a little by the silly thought. Raphael threw the rest of the scramble eggs out in the garbage pail and glanced quickly over his shoulder.

"What have you agreed about?"

"He'll search on the internet," Leonardo told him. "There is nothing more we can do at this point."

"Can't we just make surveillance on the rest of the stores?" Raphael suggested dryly.

"We can't do that," Leonardo answered.

"Why not?"

"Because of two reasons," Leonardo explained patiently. "First it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Donatello and I can't watch over so many areas at the same time and we don't know which store is going to be robbed."

"I could help," Raphael remarked tartly. "If we were three then there wouldn't be so many places left on the list. We could…"

"Secondly we would offend against Master Splinter's order," Leonardo broke in. "I already don't like the idea that we are going behind his back and I don't want to go against his prohibition if I can prevent it. We have to find the information about Rex and afterwards we'll talk with Sensei."

"What are you talking about? It wouldn't have been difficult to offend against his prohibition if you weren't so damn stubborn! Rex was hurt last night Leo, and we could finish her off at this moment if you allowed it. This is the moment where she is weak. We got to take the chance," Raphael entreated and felt his irritation rise by his brother's opposition. "You said to me yesterday that you were ready to go against the prohibition or did I talk to a stranger? Make up your mind bro, because I'm getting real tired of your changing signals."

Leonardo turned around, unable to face his brother. Raphael didn't understand his situation and it would be no use trying to explain it to him. They were too different. It was true that he had been angry the previous night because he couldn't understand why Master Splinter had forbidden him to look after Aki but Donatello's words had made sense to him. He didn't accept his father's prohibition but he respected it and he wouldn't go against his father's order unless he didn't have no other choice.

Raphael on the other hand wasn't the turtle who observed the rules if he didn't consider them to be fair. His was the person who began the fight and asked the questions after the battle had finished. Raphael couldn't stand it when Leonardo either began his speech or decided to stand in his way because Splinter had given him the great responsibility as the leader of the group. This time Leonardo wasn't in the mood to argue with his younger brother.

"I don't want to go against Master Splinter so we won't follow Rex. We have one day to try to convince him in the matter."

"And you don't care if Aki dies in the process anymore?" asked Raphael sarcastically and grabbed hardly at his brother's shoulder. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Don't you dare talking about Aki like that," Leonardo growled at him, his fist clenching at his sides. "Don't give me that. I'll look after Aki no matter what it takes, but we won't follow Rex. You don't care about Aki, because you're too busy thinking about fighting Rex. You aren't capable to fight against her and neither is Mikey. It would be foolish to take an undue risk. I agree with Master Splinter in his decision and you're not going anywhere until we know more about our enemy."

"As you wish, Great Leader!" Raphael hissed sourly and turned short. "Don't complain to me if Rex takes over the whole city. I couldn't care less."

Leonardo sighed heavily and looked resignedly after him. His brother remained a hothead. Raphael trudged to the big room and sat down on the sofa. He grabbed the remote and flicked the TV on without looking at it. He couldn't believe his own ears. What was Leo thinking? Of course, he was capable to help them, he didn't have any serious injuries. He understood perfectly why Michelangelo wasn't able to fight against Rex but there was nothing wrong with his own legs. Rex was vulnerable to a surprise attack and it would be nice to look for her for a change instead of lazing about in the cave.

The day seemed very long for his part and he was thrilled when he noticed Splinter walking to his room to meditate. Raphael wasn't accustomed to relaxing most of the day and he got tired looking at the TV. He hated to see the news because they only showed the bad events of the world, and he got bored, looking at one movie after another. He stretched and went to Michelangelo's room. His headache hadn't disappeared and he looked forward to the day where his wound would be healed so he was able to take up his training again. Leonardo was already sitting by Michelangelo's side, talking with their youngest brother.

"Hi Raph," Michelangelo greeted with a mischievous smile. "What have you been doing all day? I guess that you…"

"I wouldn't finish the sentence if I were you," Raphael shot back, cutting him off. "I hope that Donny has found something. This whole story is so crazy that I get mad every time I think about it."

"But Raph," Donatello chipped in when he entered the room with a little grey box and a couple of papers in his arms. "You get mad about everything."

"Not everything," Raphael objected and looked down on the floor one second, reconsidering his words. Whom was he kidding?

"Alright everything," he admitted and grinned.

"Have you found the solution Donny?" asked Leonardo.

"I have found some new clues," his brother confirmed and put down the papers on the ground. "How is the back Mikey?"

"Let me say it like this: It feels like a thousand knives are penetrating my shell," Michelangelo described frankly. "It really hurts."

"I thought so," Donatello nodded, handing over the small box. "This should help against the pain."

"Thanks Don," Michelangelo said gratefully. "I have had a hard time reading my comics. It is nearly impossible when the pains are killing me."

"Don't you have something else?" asked Raphael impatiently.

"I have printed out the pictures which were stolen from the different stores," Donatello explained and placed the papers nicely on Michelangelo's continental quilt. "Tell me what you think."

His three brothers studied the pictures carefully even though Michelangelo stopped after a minute or so. Donatello had brought them ten different pictures of flutes with the same shape and strange patterns on the sides. The difference was the animals on them. There was a picture of April's flute with the rat and the other pictures were an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey and a rooster.

"What is it about these flutes?" Michelangelo asked and looked at Donatello. "They are the same and differentat the same time."

"Exactly! They are very special indeed," Donatello nodded, pointing at the symbols. "I haven't been able to translate these signs but they are imported from China."

"We knew that," Raphael said and shrugged his shoulders. "When is the new stuff coming?"

"It is not that easy for me," his younger brother admitted. "I have a solution which could explain most of our questions but I'm not sure that I'm willing to accept it."

"Why not?" asked Michelangelo. "It would be nice to solve this mystery or is it just me?"

"No, but I'm a science turtle," Donatello replied with a regretful smile. "The new clues, which I have found, go against my conviction and it is kind of frustrating."

"Let me guess," Raphael interposed. "The flutes aren't normal instruments."

"No, they are magical and very powerful. Terrible things occurred when they were played with a certain melody," Donatello explained and looked doubtfully at them. "I don't know whether I should accept this solution or not. It is totally irrational and illogical, but it was the best I could find."

"But you don't know what the flutes are capable of?" asked Leonardo curiously.

"The website on the internet didn't have much description of the flutes because they are only a myth in China. They didn't even have pictures of the flutes because they have never been seen by any humans. They are a part of a legend in the history of China. The different animals on the flutes showed the Chinese zodiac signs but the magic comes from these unknown symbols below the strange patterns. The creation of the flutes was originated from a secret order, which brought them to China. They knew the special melody which activated the magical powers of the flutes."

"Which order?" Raphael asked.

"They called themselves The Five Elements ," Donatello told them seriously. "They are described as horrible magicians in ancient China who almost destroyed the country. Their flutes were the most feared weapons but, as I said before, no man has been able to describe the flutes."

"Why not?" Michelangelo asked wonderingly.

"There weren't any witnesses to pass on the story. They were killed," Leonardo said quietly and Donatello looked astonishingly at him.

"How did you know?"

"It may sound strange to you but it all makes sense. I read something like it about a few weeks ago. Master Splinter had always told us that knowledge is a treasure which follows you anywhere," Leonardo said and smiled. "We have learned about Bushido, the codex about honour and moral. I have studied many other scrolls in my room. A part of them was written by a couple of Jo-nin, the great ninja masters, and one of them mentioned a mysterious episode about this order. He told about a Chinese village, which had been visited by the element of fire. She razed the village to the ground with the tones of the tiger. I didn't understand it at the time but it could be a flute which he was talking about."

"The tones of the tiger? Well that sounds odd," Michelangelo remarked.

"Technically there is a possibility that it isn't the magic which activates the flutes. Perhaps the order made the flutes so when you played a certain melody then something bad happened to the environment," Donatello suggested, trying to find a logical explanation about the flutes.

"Or it could be both. You mustn't forget the order, which were described as magicians. They could be a major part in the affair," Leonardo said.

"Does it really matter who made the flutes? We have to think about the present. Rex definitely knows the truth about the flutes," Raphael remarked gloomily. "She would kill to get them."

"I'll bet that Aki knows the secret too," Michelangelo added. "She stole the rat flute from April to prevent Rex from stealing it."

"They might know about the melody," Leonardo said and looked at Donatello with a confused glance. "How could they know? The Five Elements lived in ancient China. They don't exist anymore."

"But the descendants could," Donatello explained and showed them a new piece of paper. "I found more information about this order at another website. It has been interesting reading. Their lives in China didn't last a long time. The Five Elements weren't immortals but normal humans with special powers. They decided to pass on the knowledge to chosen apprentices who they found worthy of their cause. It was also the mainly reason which brought them down. The apprentice of the air had made a deal with the emperor of China who installed him as a spy. The apprentice delivered the flutes to him in deep secrecy and the emperor dispatched his army towards the elements. The flutes remained in the emperor's possession for many centuries but disappeared in 1911 because there was a revolution against the empire. That was pretty much everything."

"You talked about descendants Donny," Raphael said. "How can they still exist at present day?"

"They were powerful magicians and the emperor never caught them. Therefore it is possible that the descendants could exit today."

"Do you believe that Rex is one of the Five Elements?" Leonardo asked.

"As science turtle I can't consider it as the reality. I don't believe in magic but I must admit that I don't have another solution to our problems. This would explain the whole mess," Donatello confirmed. "Aki is it probably too. The Five Elements had the ability to throw a person away from them like the women have done to us. The element of fire had a unique skill that she could receive things when she asked for them."

"It sounds like Rex," Michelangelo said and shuddered by the thought.

Raphael looked down at his plastron where two big scratches crossed his chest. The pain wasn't as powerful in his chest as the wound on the back of his neck but he had troubled with breathing. It never crossed his mind to tell his brothers that the pains were strong. He clenched his teeth and turned to Leonardo and Donatello.

"We can't let Rex get away with the flutes. She'll follow Aki and I'm afraid that Aki is going to lose the battle. She isn't as strong as the insane woman."

"I'm wouldn't be so sure about that," Donatello put in and pointed at the pictures on the continental quilt. "Didn't you guys notice?"

"They have only found ten flutes," Leonardo replied and faced Donatello. "There are twelve zodiac signs in the Chinese horoscope."

"Great!" Raphael burst out ironically. "What do we need?"

"The flutes are with a pig and a dog," Donatello smiled mildly.

"It could give us the time we needs. I don't think that Rex is going anywhere tonight after the fight she had with you. It is the perfect opportunity to talk with Aki and find out exactly what these flutes can do," Leonardo said seriously.

"There are two stores who have the flutes. I have already written the names down," Donatello stated finally and crossed his arms. "That was all. As I see it, this solution isn't perfect but it explains a lot of our questions."

"I think that we should talk with Master Splinter about this," Leonardo said after a moment of silence. "We have found the proof which he asked of us."

"Come on Leo! He wouldn't take back his prohibition because Donny has discovered some myths about the flutes," Raphael protested. "He already felt that the streets were dangerous enough even without Rex."

"And I say that you're wrong Raph. He'll listen to us," Leonardo contradicted and rose from the floor. "Don and I split the two stores between us to find Aki. If Rex decides to show up then we staying as far away from her as possible. We can't handle her on our own. Raph stays in the cave with Mikey."

"Are you out of your mind? I'm going with you," Raphael said and glanced annoyingly at him. "I'm not a disabled person because I have a slight pain in the neck."

"It is for the best that you get some rest. The same goes for Mikey," Leonardo said.

"You don't have to worry about me bro," Michelangelo chuckled and grabbed one of his comics. "This is heaven for me."

"But not for me," Raphael growled and looked intensely at his eldest brother. "I have been relaxing all day. I need to get out."

"Please don't take me for a fool. If Rex decides to show up then you'll not hesitate to attack her," Leonardo said calmly with an expressionless look. "It is too dangerous."

Raphael knew that his brother was right but it didn't make a difference. He felt useless when he was sitting at home without doing anything, especially when his brothers were on a mission. Raphael's eyes flashed with anger as he returned his brother's cold look.

"I wouldn't begin the lecture if I were you," he warned his eldest brother angrily.

"Raph give it a rest, okay?" Leonardo said and laid his hand on his shoulder. "And stay home. Your wound needs to heal."

Raphael lashed out and Leonardo blocked him reflexively. Donatello and Michelangelo exchanged looks but they couldn't do anything to stop them. Bad experiences from the past had taught them to stay away. Raphael had placed his hands on his weapons and Leonardo stared back defiantly. He didn't want to fight, but they all knew he would.

"You haven't heard the last from me!" Raphael snarled and turned away from him, walking towards the door.

"One happy family," Donatello remarked sadly and shook his head.

"It is just great," Michelangelo smiled with irony in his voice and removed his gaze from the comic. "You'll better take the hothead with you. Raph isn't the turtle who avoids a fight because he is hurt."

"I could go with him," Donatello suggested.

Leonardo nodded in agreement, and they bid farewell to their youngest brother who already had become absorbed in the world of the comics. Michelangelo was actually satisfied with his condition even though it was painful one. He didn't want to meet the witch again and he was glad that he had a good reason to stay away from her. Michelangelo had often been in scary situations where he just wanted to escape from the horrible creatures, not to mention that he was also the turtle who screamed a lot when he got scared.

"You'll help Donatello," Leonardo said and walked towards Raphael who was standing in the middle of the cave.

"Good."

Donatello joined his brothers. They knew that Raphael had gone out anyway in the evening if they hadn't taken him with them. His bull-headedness hadn't any limits whatsoever.

"I have replaced the microphones which Rex destroyed," Donatello said and looked at Raphael. "I have made some eggs for you as an escape option if something bad occurs. We're not going into fight."

"I got it, Einstein," Raphael said irritatingly.

"This time it mustn't go wrong. The stores aren't far away from each other therefore it shouldn't be a big problem to stay in contact. We're going out tonight," Leonardo said. "I'll have a talk with…"

"Where are you going my sons?" Master Splinter asked as he stepped out of his room.

"Busted!" Raphael exclaimed disappointed.

Leonardo gasped and winced when he saw the look in his father's eyes. The turtles froze and didn't know what to say.

"Where are you going?" Splinter repeated seriously. "I demand an answer now!"

A/N: It looks like our turtles got some explaining to do. I hope you liked the chapter. The next chapter is coming two weeks from now. See you soon!


	7. The choice

A/N: I'm back with the next chapter after two busy weeks in school. I had so many projects last week that I barely had the time to get this chapter ready as I promised you. I just want to add that I really appreciated your reviews. It is nice to know that you like the story and a big thanks to Ramica for your help and support with my story. Enjoy…

Leonardo was unable to face his father. He was so ashamed that it was impossible to look him in the eyes. He blamed himself and felt so guilty because of his actions. He knew that he would have told Master Splinter about their plans after his conversation with his brothers, but it didn't matter to him at this point. Nonetheless, they had gone behind their father's back and there was nothing he could do to change it.

Donatello and Raphael's faces both looked dejected and remained gazing at the floor. The silence in the room was loaded down with their guilt and Splinter's silent reproach on them. His piercing glance didn't move away from his sons as he waited for their answer to his question. He could see that his sons had a bad conscience about something and he didn't want to let it go. The old rat took a firm grip around his cane as he walked slowly a few steps towards his eldest son.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter," Leonardo apologized sincerely. "It's just that we have been talking about finding Aki before it is too late. We have found some new clues and I'm afraid that she is in a serious danger because of the flutes."

"Leonardo!" Splinter burst out sharply. "I told you last night that you shouldn't follow after her because it is too dangerous for you and your brothers. I asked you to protect our family!"

"You mustn't punish Leo for this, Sensei," Raphael pleaded and sighed. "It was me who convinced him to continue our search after the flutes."

He was lying and they all knew it. The four brothers had agreed to find the truth about the flutes even though they were aware of the great danger. Nevertheless Raphael defended his eldest brother and took the blame for the incident. Leonardo looked down at the floor and felt a lump in his throat. He had never expected Raphael to defend him as he had done at this moment. Donatello, who had receded quietly into the background, took one-step forward with the papers in his hands, which he had shown to his brothers in Michelangelo's bedroom.

"I found these things on the internet, Master Splinter," he put in, before Raphael was told off by their father. "I have a suspicion that the flutes contain a great power, which Rex wishes to control. If we don't find Aki as quickly as possible then Rexis going to destroy her in a battle between them. We are afraid that she is going to lose and die, and further more we are worried about what will happen with the world if Rex gets all the flutes."

"It is black magi," Splinter said, looking down at the papers, which Donatello had given him.

"It isn't any good thing that's for sure," Raphael added gloomily. "We have to stop this madness."

"The Five Elements are not easy opponents, my sons," Splinter said and bowed his head sadly. "I had hoped that the history had eliminated them."

"Do you know them, Master Splinter?" Leonardo asked astounded at his words.

"I don't have much information about them which could help you in your search," Splinter told them. "My memories came back to me as I was meditating in my room of a time, where I was a pet and lived with my Master Hamato Yoshi. He was once visited by a couple of government officers who had discovered that this terrible order still existed in China. They told him that a strange woman with eyes of fire had attacked the royal palace."

"That sounds just like Rex," Raphael mumbled. "You could say that the apple never falls far from the tree. Apparently her predecessor also had a screw loose."

"The government officer was determined to never let anything like that happen again and they requested for my Master's help. Unfortunately he was unable to give them a response. He was murdered by Shredder a few days after their visit."

"So The Five Elements were searching for the flutes for sixteen years," Donatello said thoughtfully and looked confusingly at Splinter. "I don't quite understand it, Sensei. We know that the flutes disappeared from the palace in 1911. Why did they come to the palace looking for them?"

"It was a deep secret which was revealed for my Master that day," Splinter sighed and had a serious expression in his face. "The emperor of China decided after the revolution to send the flutes to a secret place, because he knew that it was a danger to his people and himself if he kept them in the palace. Many of hisgenerals had tried to get their hands on the flutes. Therefore he gave them to a highly trusted adviser, but I don't know how the flutes came to America."

"It is exactly why it doesn't make sense," Donatello exclaimed and averted his gaze from his father. "Why haven't they found the flutes? I didn't have the big trouble to find information about them when I knew what I was looking for. The Five Elements should have found the flutes a long time ago."

"It is pure guesswork from my side, but I would say that the best place to hide anything is where everybody can see it," Leonardo suggested with a wry smile. "Maybe the emperor chose to send the flutes to America in public. Who would look after magical flutes if they were among other flutes in different antique stores of New York?"

"You could have a point," Donatello nodded. "I called April earlier today and she told me that her flute originally had been sold to her father when he was alive. She said that after his death she had found the flute in a small box behind the books on the top shelves. Maybe the storeowners knew that they had to be careful about the flutes."

"You don't know that," Raphael protested and faced his brother.

"It is a theory," Donatello confirmed and had a despairing look in his face. "It is just that the answers raise even more questions."

"I think that we should have a little chat with the lady with the fan," Raphael said hoarsely. "If she is a member of The Five Elements then she is able togive all theanswers to our questions."  
"The streets were dangerous enough before Rex came to New York," Splinter said and took a deep breath. "It would be unwise to go out when you aren't at your full strength."

"I can fight against Rex any time," Raphael protested irritably. "I'm still capable of giving this hussy from Asia some…"

"Raphael! That is enough!" Splinter ordered sharply.

"I'm aware of the danger, Sensei, but I also believe that we should find Aki," Donatello said seriously. "I agree with Leo on the subject. Rex is far stronger than her, and she is going to kill her if we don't prevent it."

Splinter didn't feel calm by his son's words. Actually he could sense the evil around him, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Though Rex hadn't won the first battle then it didn't mean that they should underestimate her. Leonardo finally found the courage to look his father in his eyes, and he noticed quickly the deeply concern in his face.

"We'll be careful, Master Splinter," Leonardo promised persuadably.

"I know you will," the old rat said finally after a few seconds of silence. "What is your plan, Leonardo?"

Leonardo told him everything about the conversation, which they had had in Michelangelo's bedroom. Splinter listened attentively to him and didn't interrupt him at any time. Leonardo had planned a perfect strategy for the night, and Splinter had to admit that he was very impressed by Leonardo's way of thinking even though Splinter knew that his eldest son had been ready to go against his orders.

The basic plan was to make surveillance on the places where the last two flutes remained. If they met Aki they would have a talk with her and if the stores weren't attacked during the night then they would have Casey or April to get the flutes the next day.

Splinter acknowledged his son's plan and nodded in satisfaction. As Leonardo had told him about his plan, Splinter couldn't help but to feel proud of him. Leonardo had the leader skills in his blood and he plan was carefully prepared. In spite of that, Splinter felt that he had to test him before he would let his sons go out to find Aki. When Leonardo had finished his report, Splinter rested his hands on the top of his cane while he looked thoroughly at his sons.

"Your plan is good, Leonardo," Master Splinter praised. "But you seem to have forgotten one thing. You haven't made allowance for your enemy. What are you going to do if Rex decides to show up?"

"It is possible but rather unlikely that we are going to meet her," Donatello objected and received his papers from Splinter. "We mustn't forget that she was hurt in the battle last night."

"But you can't deny that she has magical powers," Splinter pointed out and looked seriously at Leonardo. "Have you taken it into account?"

"I have thought about it, but I quickly rejected the thought. I'm fully aware of her magical powers but she is a human nonetheless," his eldest son said. "I can't believe that she is able to walk today after the bomb I threw at her. I have considered the possibility that she has some sort of accomplices but it was never the intension that we were going into a fight with them. Raphael isn't ready to fight and it would be suicide to go after her on our own. We don't know her weaknesses yet."

"I share the same opinion," Splinter smiled in content and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I don't want you to take an unnecessary risk by fighting Rex. You have to be careful."

"Shouldn't we go out now instead of chatting all day long?" Raphael asked impatiently. "We don't have to wait for the night to make our move. This is right time to strike, not to mention if we are going to wait here any longer then I'm going to die of boredom."

"Well, we don't want that to happen," Leonardo said ironically and glanced at Splinter. "What do you think, Sensei?"

"A wise man once said that you have to learn how to crawl before you're able to walk," Splinter said with a wry smile. "And we will take one step at the time in this case. We can't afford to make any mistakes the price is too high. You can't leave the lair unprepared. You have to wait for the darkness and use its' advantages. You'll need to move like the shadows and use the way of invincibility to achieve your goal, my students. No one must know that you'll surveillance these stores tonight."

"Yes Master Splinter," Leonardo said and bowed to his Sensei.

His brothers quickly followed his example. A smile flickered across their father's face by the sight and he returned the bow, whereupon he walked past them and left the room. He hoped silently in his mind that his sons would take his words seriously.

"Yes Master Splinter," Raphael imitated his brother in a childish voice, when Splinter was out of earshot. "You're in truth the teacher's pet, Leo. Now we have to wait in the lair for the rest of the day because you had to…"

"It doesn't change anything Raph," Leonardo interrupted annoyingly at his brother's comment. "We can't risk to be seen by any humans because you're impatient!"

"It could have been worse," Donatello commented, trying to stop his brothers' discussion. "We could have been grounded."

"And you want me to be grateful for that?" Raphael asked irritably and turned to Donatello, as if he was determining whether he was more interested in fighting him or Leonardo. He turned his attention to his eldest brother. "We should be out there to prevent the maniac to find any more flutes instead of sitting here on our butts and doing nothing!"

"Calm down rowdy," Leonardo asked as he grabbed his brother's arm. "Don't lose your temper because you're furious that we have to wait. Anyway Aki won't arrive until it is dark and it is her, who we need to find Raph. At this time you can't fight against Rex."

Raphael hated when Leonardo saw through his mind. He stared angrily at him and tore his arm off. Leonardo shook resignedly his head as he saw Raphael going into his room. Donatello had the same look in his face when Leonardo turned around.

"He'll never change," he remarked with a little smile.

"Hothead," Leonardo sighed. "I'm going to talk with Michelangelo before we leave the cave. I have come to think of something important which I maybe have overlooked. Do you want to join me?"

"No thanks, I have a couple of thing which needs to be fixed in my workshop before it gets dark. I want to improve some of the microphones. It could be useful," Donatello answered and looked wonderingly at him. "What are you thinking about?"

"Actually I have thought about it since we met Rex. What is her weakness Don?"

"As far as I know, she doesn't have one," Donatello replied and gave him a questioning look. "Or has she?"

"It is just a thought," Leonardo told him and walked towards Michelangelo's room. "But it could have significance when we don't have a lot of information about her. It is always a good idea to be prepared in case that something goes wrong."

"It sounds fine Leo," Donatello nodded slowly. "Do you really believe that it is Michelangelo who got the answer to your question?"

"It is a possibility. I'll look into it right away," Leonardo said gently and the two brothers separated.

Donatello had been in his workshop the last four hours to finish the microphones. He placed his bag on the table next to his inventions, while he walked to the other end of the subway train. He hummed cheerfully as he found the tools which he needed to complete his work.

He took a firm grip on the cross-point screwdriver and held the small microphone tightly between his three fingers as he made the final touch. He had placed a secret turtle tracker at the back of the microphone. He had carefully made them so they looked like a part of the design. The turtle trackers were small turtle shells, which were easily to remove. Donatello couldn't help but feel proud of his new masterpiece.

Donatello smiled happily as he put down the microphones in his bag along with his eggs. There was nothing more he could do now. He took a deep breath as he looked around in his workshop. He loved this place more than anything else on this planet. It was his own private space where he could find peace most of the time to his ideas and inventions unless he brothers decided to show up. It wasn't as if he didn't want them to visit him but it could be hard sometimes to keep his concentration on his inventions, when his brothers wanted to make a conversation with him.

He placed the screwdriver carefully on the shelf. Everything had its' place in the workshop though it could be a mess sometimes. Donatello took his bag and walked out of the subway train. He noticed that Leonardo hadn't showed up yet. Raphael sat down on the sofa while he turned his sai around in his hand with a quick movement. Usually he did that when he was in a gloomy, angry or thoughtful mood. Donatello shook quietly his head and walked towards his elder brother.

"Hi Raph," Donatello greeted and glanced curiously at him. "Where is Leo?"

"He is late," Raphael said harshly and put his sai impatiently back in his belt. "He had been with Mike the last couple of hours."

"He wanted to knowabout Rex's weakness," Donatello said and joined his brother on the sofa. "He said that it was Mikey, who maybe had found the solution."

"It is too stupid to be believed," Raphael exclaimed in disbelief and laughed. "Should Mikey know her weakness? I can't and won't believe it. I was with the witch most of the time and I didn't notice any weakness."

"You would have done, if you haven't lost your conscience when she cut your plastron," Leonardo put in as he walked out of their brother's room. "Then you would have seen her weakness with your own eyes."

"What do you mean?"

"I recalled our conversation from yesterday as we talked with Splinter about our next move. I remembered you told me that you grabbed her hands to prevent her from throwing you against the wall," Leonardo explained and faced his brother. "She did it a lot, didn't she?"

"A couple of times," Raphael replied, placing his arms at his knees so he could rest his head on his hands. "Why?"

"Rex hadn't been able to defeat Mikey when we arrived to the place," Donatello pointed out as he realized what his brother had been thinking about. "She had to attack him from the back because she didn't have any other possibilities left than to throw him against the wall when he didn't look at her."

"I realized that our brother could have found a weakness without even knowing it," Leonardo said and looked seriously at them. "I thought that it was best to find out the truth and I talked with Mikey who told me everything about their fight. He had discovered that…"

"He couldn't attack her with a frontal attack," Raphael finished for him and chuckled. "Well, I never! Who would have thought that it was so easy? It is nice to see that Mikey was capable of using his brain for once in his life. I'm actually impressed."

"He told me that he regained his conscience as you fought against her," Leonardo continued and ignored his brother's comment. "He aimed a blow at her mostly from the sides and her back but at the same time he was very careful and constantly kept movingso she didn't get the opportunity to strike back at him."

"In other words: She is slow as a snail compared to us," Raphael concluded and smirked as he held on to his weapons. "I'm really going to enjoy this the next time we meet her."

"It is indeed a useful advantage," Donatello nodded and looked at his eldest brother as he got up from the sofa. "Where are we going?"

"We'll use the Battle Shell," Leonardo informed as he went to the elevator, which led them directly to the car on the surface. "I'll watch the first store and you continue to the next one. We have to hide ourselves completely in the surroundings as Master Splinter said. We'll keep in touch with each other but you have to remember that we're doing a surveillance on the stores, which means that we don't show ourselves unless you're certain that it is Aki. Are we clear?"

"We're clear," Raphael nodded sourly. "You don't have to spell it out. We heard you the first time. Basically you want us to take to our heels if something bad turns up, right?"

"Something along those lines, yes," Donatello smiled as the elevator stopped at the surface.

They had designed the old place almost a year ago when they had found it by accident. The warehouse had been abandoned for many years but they had carefully hidden most of their stuff in the junk, so the humans wouldn't get suspicious if they decided to look trough one of the windows. Raphael hurried to the car and went to the driver's seat. Leonardo settled up front in the passenger's seat next to him while Donatello promptly buckled himself up behind his brothers with his bag placed on the floor.

"It isn't my style to run from a battle," Raphael informed his brother as he shifted the car into gear and drove out from the warehouse.

"Then call it a tactical retreat if it makes you feel better," Leonardo said softly and gave him a serious glance. "You aren't in fighting condition whether you like it or not. Master Splinter would be furious if your wound in the neck got worse because you went to battle."

Raphael didn't answer him and Leonardo averted his eyes from his brother. Honestly Raphael hated to admit it but his brother had a point. He felt frequently a shooting pain from the two big scratches on his plastron, and the pain in the neck had increased during the evening. Raphael couldn't ignore the fact that it would be a bad idea to fight against Rex when his aching wound wasn't healed completely.

In spite of his knowledge about his wounds, he wasn't sure that he wouldn't fight Rex if he had the chance. He didn't want to run from his enemy and show his own weakness. He wanted to kick the witch's ass back to Asia and make her regret that she had fought against him and his family.

Donatello opened his bag and brought out the improved microphones. It was exciting to see if they would work. He hadn't got the time to try out the turtle trackers, but they should work in theory. Donatello hoped in a way that the night would be quiet without any troubles. He was a turtle who liked the peace in everyday life and he didn't want to fight if it was possible. Unfortunately they had so many enemies that he didn't have a choice. Raphael stopped the Battle Shell and looked at Leonardo.

"This is your stop, bro."

"Take care," Leonardo said and got up from his seat. "We're meeting here, if nothing happens tonight."

"We'll do that," Donatello nodded and gave him one of the new microphones. "I have made a turtle tracker. You can use it, if something doesn't turns out as planned."

"You're a genius Donny," Leonardo praised warmly and placed the microphone around his head. "See you, guys."

Leonardo watched silently as the car drove away from him. He turned short and disappeared into the dark alley, where he couldn't be seen from the street. He hopped on the fire escape and gazed out over the area. There were different places where he could hide. It was easy to watch over the antique store. The entrance was placed in the corner between the alley and the store. Leonardo looked at the laundry on the clotheslines above him. He could hide under one of the big sheets. It could be a good hiding spot.

He had hardly thought the idea through before he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly jumped from the fire escape and held on to a clothesline. He crawled along it until he found a green sheet, which he could use as camouflage. He kept an eye on the street but it turned out to be false alarm. Leonardo signed as a woman passed the store with her tiny poodle but he didn't move. He felt deep inside that something was coming.

"We are in position, Leo," Donatello's voice sounded in his ear.

"That is great Donny," Leonardo replied in a low tone and took a firm grip on the clothesline with his legs. "How is it going?"

"It could certainly be better," Donatello admitted honestly. "The store has already been visited. The entrance is open."

"What?" Leonardo burst out in surprise and tried to lower his voice again. "Are you sure?"

"It seems quite obvious to me when the door is wide open, Leo. I told you that we had to leave the lair before it got dark but you wouldn't listen to me," Raphael said smugly. "Aki has already been here."

Leonardo couldn't understand it. It had happened too soon. He had never expected that Aki would have robbed the store at this point. Leonardo shook resignedly his head. He had made a mistake, but it was no use crying over split milk. Furthermore, they still had a chance with the last store. It was now time for plan B.

"It is possible that she is still in the store," Leonardo said. "You have to check up on it. If she isn't there then you join me."

"Okay," Donatello obeyed.

Leonardo had been engrossed by the conversation that he didn't notice the dark figure at the entrance of the store until he heard the person fiddle with the burglar alarm. Leonardo froze immediately when he recognized the thief. He could clearly remember the last night when she kept him down with her foot on his plastron while she demanded his brother to drop down their weapons. He couldn't understand how she was able to be here if she had robbed the other store. Leonardo let go of his hold on the clothesline and followed quickly after her. He had to talk with her while he got the chance.

Aki felt her heart throbbing faster as she walked into the store. She hadn't seen Rex the last two days and it had made her anxious. The woman had followed her since her arrival to New York. Aki had tried to steal the flutes before Rex got her hands on them but she hadn't seen the witch after she had met the strange turtle creatures.

Aki had tried to find a reasonable explanation of the big turtles but it had been in vain. It was amazing that such creatures could exist in a big city. Aki was born in Japan where magi was a common thing and she had seen a lot of weird creatures as a member of The Five Elements but she had never seen anything like these turtles before in her life. At first, she had thought that they were ancient Japanese demons, also known as Kappa. Some were good demons and others were very bad but Aki had rejected the idea. They hadn't acted like demons. The Five Elements had many magical abilities, which the apprentices didn't have. One of them was that each of the Five Elements was able to sense each others presence if they were nearby of one another and at some point, Aki now wished that she had learned how to use it. This was the reason why Rex didn't have much trouble with following after her, and Aki hated in the depth of her heart that she couldn't sense Rex as well.

Aki had tried to reduce her magical aura, but she was able to make it disappear. It was visible like the blood in her veins and Rex was without a doubt a great magician. Aki had hidden the few flutes, which she had found in her special hideout, but Aki was always making sure that she didn't stay to long at the place. Otherwise it would be easy for Rex to locate her hiding spot. Therefore Aki had to be on the move most of the time, while she had to find a way to stop Rex in her pursuing of the flutes. However, she didn't know how she should do it. Rex was the element of fire and much stronger than her. Aki closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't give up hope.

"Can't you tell us why you need the flute?"

The voice of the turtle had sounded very friendly and helpful, but she had promised herself a long time ago when she came to New York that she wouldn't put anybody's life in danger. Nevertheless, she couldn't stop thinking about them and their offer to help her. She had been so stupid! If she failed in her quest, then who was going to prevent Rex from getting the flutes? The answer was nobody and she could only blame herself. The turtles could have made a difference.

She had noticed that they were extremely good in the skills of martial art and Rex wasn't a great fighter. The Five Elements had trained their mind and their body but Rex hadn't paid much attention to the training of her fighting skills. She had mainly concentrated on the power of the magic. Aki regretted at the moment that she hadn't accepted the turtles' offer. They could have been helpful in her fight against the evil woman, not to mention that it would have been nice to confide herself to them.

Aki had never thought in her entire life when she began as the apprentice of the air that she would have walked around as a thief a few years later. How had it gone so far? Was she responsible for the terrible disaster? Aki shook wildly her head. It was no use that she tortured herself with the depressing questions. She had tried to warn the elements about Rex but they hadn't listened to her because she was only an apprentice when Rex became the element of fire. From the beginning, Aki had suspected that Rex had killed her predecessor who also had had an obsession about the magical flutes. Suddenly during the night, the element of fire had died of a heart attack and the order hadn't questioned her death, because she was an old woman at the time. It was just that Aki had noticed the wicked grin and triumphing look in Rex's face at the funeral. Aki stopped as she came to the different flutes. She felt a bit disappointed when she saw the flute with the pig. She had hoped that she would have found the flute with the dog.

"You don't have to do this Aki," a voice mumbled behind her.

Aki was frightened at the voice and gasped in surprise as she dropped the flute on the floor. Her hand was shaking when she took the flute. She turned short with her heart throbbing wildly in her chest but she couldn't see anybody in the dark. It wasn't the first time that she had tried this, and she believed that the voice somehow seemed familiar. Aki heaved a sigh of relief as she remembered where she had heard the voice.

"You're one of the turtles, right?" she asked softly. "Can't you please show yourself? I really hate to talk with a person, who I can't see."

Leonardo stepped slowly out from the shadows. Aki widened her eyes as she realized that he had been right beside her without her knowledge. He could have knocked her down if he had wanted to. Aki wondered why he hadn't unsheathed his swords and he didn't seem prepared for battle either. He was just looking at her.

"You're good," Aki praised. "I hadn't notice you."

"Master Splinter is always saying that we have to move like the shadows. A ninja is friend with the darkness, which hides the presence of the shadow warrior," the blue-masked turtle said and returned her smile.

"He is your Sensei?"

"And my father," Leonardo replied and walked towards her. "Aki, we need to talk. We're not your enemies."

"I know that now," she nodded and placed the flute in the small bag around her belt. "But it is dangerous to get involved in my problems."

"You're right, but we have been involved and we want to help you."

"What is your name?" Aki asked curiously and gave him a wry smile. "I gave my name the last time we met."

"My name is Leonardo," Leonardo answered and he held her hand lightly as he was afraid that she was going to remove it. "We want to give you a hand in your battle against Rex but it is necessary that you tell us the truth. We can't fight against an unknown enemy."

"How do you know about Rex?" Aki gasped in shock.

"We ran into her, when we were looking for you," he explained calmly but Aki could see the pain in his eyes. "She almost killed two of my brothers and we can't take the chance to fight against her when we hadn't found a way to defeat her. Therefore, we need some information about her. We have discovered that you and Rex apparently came from a secret order in China, known as "The Five Elements" and they were powerful magicians who created the flutes in the first place in ancient China. We also know that you have magical powers but we still have so many questions without an answer like why you're fighting against Rex and not with her and what is it precisely that the flutes can do?"

"You have much knowledge Leonardo…"

"You can call me Leo, everybody does," he interrupted and looked at her with regret in his eyes. "Sorry, please continue."

"You have much knowledge Leo," Aki smiled sadly and removed her hand from him as she shook her head. "But it is more complicated than you think. I can't tell you my story here. It is too dangerous."

"I understand," Leonardo said in agreement while he looked around in the store. "This isn't the best place to talk. Can we meet tomorrow?"

"It won't be easy. I'm constantly on the move, because I don't want Rex to find me. It is hard to explained, but she can sense my magical aura if she is near me. This is why I need to move all the time."

"You don't have to think about Rex," Leonardo assured her. "She was hurt after the battle with my brothers. I'm sure that you're not going to meet her the next few days."

"I would be thrilled if that was the case, but you don't know Rex as well as I does," Aki said discouraged. "Even though I haven't seen her the last two days, I'm convinced that she hasn't stopped her searching after the magical flutes. I saw what she would do in Beijing. I really appreciate your offer to help me, but we can't meet at my place. I have to keep it hidden from Rex. I hope that you understand."

"I do," Leonardo confirmed and placed his hand thoughtfully around his chin. "Can you be at the old water tower at dawn? No one is using it anymore. It is my own place, where I can be alone. I'm going to meet you without my brothers to reduce the risk of being discovered. Is it okay with you?"

"It sounds fine," Aki answered satisfied. "Tomorrow I tell you everything. It would be nice to share my story with you."

"That's settled then," Leonardo nodded and gave her a questioning look. "So you're leaving with the flutes to your hiding spot now?"

Aki hadn't seen that he had taken the little turtle tracker from his microphone. Leonardo could perfectly understand why Aki didn't want to take any chances but on the other hand neither would he. He didn't feel guilty about because he had to protect her from any harm even if it meant that he had to look after her the whole time until they met each other the next morning.

"Yeah, it would be the best," Aki replied but stared confusingly at him. "What do you mean with the flutes? I have only taken one flute today."

"Haven't you taken the last flute?" Leonardo asked in wonder.

"No, I haven't," Aki responded and raised her eyebrows. "Why do you believe that?"

"My brothers were watching the other store, where the last flute was, but they told me that somebody had already been there when they arrived to the shop. If you hasn't taken it then...," Leonardo mumbled worryingly. "Then maybe my brothers are in deep troubles. Donny?"

"I hear you, bro," Donatello's voice sounded in his ear. "We're inside of the store, Leo, but the whole thing is a big mess. I have never seen anything like it."

"Understatement of the year," Raphael commented hoarsely. "It's definitely not Aki who has visited this place. We have forgotten about that idea because this place is a ruin. I tell you Leo, it seems like someone had decided to throw a nuclear bomb inhere."

"That bad, huh?"

"Technically it is very improbable that someone had thrown a bomb in the store, especially a nuclear bomb," Donatello remarked logically. "There wouldn't have been any building left for miles if that had occurred."

"You get the picture, right?" Raphael asked his eldest brother a bit annoyed by Donatello's interruption. "Everything has been destroyed and there is no sign of the flute whatsoever. Has something happened at your place?"

"I saw a woman walking with her poodle," Leonardo informed and grinned.

"Great!" Raphael exclaimed disappointed.

"Afterwards I saw the woman, I met Aki in the store," Leonardo added. "She has agreed to meet me at a secret place where she can be safe."

"Really? Then why did you tell me the nonsense about the poodle lady?" Raphael asked irritably. "Why can't Aki…"

"Raph, come and look at this!" Donatello exclaimed.

"What is happening?" Aki asked curious.

"I'm not sure," Leonardo admitted and placed his finger on the microphone. "What's going on, guys?"

"It doesn't look promising, Leo," Donatello said and swallowed. "I have just found the storeowner."

"You mean the sad remains of him," Raphael remarked dryly. "He had gone through a tough time. The marks on the wall clearly give us an idea of what has happen to him. It is Rex who is behind this murder."

"But it can't be," Leonardo protested. "How can she be back on her feet after the fight from yesterday? It is impossible."

"What is impossible Leo?" Aki asked concerned. "What has happened?"

"They think that it is Rex who is behind the robbery of the store," Leonardo explained and turned his attention towards her. "Could there be any other members of The Five Elements in New York?"

"No, there isn't," Aki denied with a firm voice. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was Rex who had stolen the flute. Rex possesses many powers and magical knowledge."

"But I hurt her with a small bomb last night. Are you going to tell me that it is possible?" Leonardo asked in disbelief. "To be fair, I would never have thought that it was possible for any humans."

"Have you ever seen a human throwing around with things with a single movement of the hand?" Aki asked with a knowing smile. "Nevertheless, it depends on how much the bomb hurt her. Did you see the damage?."

Leonardo was stunned by her question, as he found himself unable to give her a clear answer. He had thrown the red bomb towards her, but as he recalled the events from the last evening, it became clear that he didn't hit her that well. As he thought more about it, he was unsure on how to respond on her question, as Rex might haven't got hurt badly at all.

"I didn't notice for sure," he admitted and felt a slight shameful blush in his cheeks. "I was more concentrating of getting my brothers away from that place alive."

"Understandable," Aki nodded but kept a firm look in her eyes. "However Rex is very capable of making and getting magical potions or herb mixtures which can help her recover quickly from her wounds. And she is getting more impatient than ever…"

"She is so obsessed by the flutes…" Leonardo mumbled for himself.

"She couldn't care less about her life," Aki said and bowed her head slightly to the side as he trailed off, while she looked at him with honesty in her emerald eyes, "She only wants the power of the flutes."

"Did you hear that Donny?"

"I did and it was fascinating to hear," Donatello said enthusiastically but became serious. "Leo, the storeowner didn't die because Rex threw him against the wall. She burned him alive."

"Torture," Raphael concluded. "Perhaps she wanted to know where the last flute was hidden."

"I'm afraid you're right," Donatello said worryingly. "We're leaving immediately. Rex is maybe on her way to you."

"I agree with you but I'll wait here in the store until you arrive."

"Why?"

"I don't want to discuss it Don. Someone has to be used as bait," Leonardo answered. "Just hurry as fast as you can."

"We will," Donatello promised and finished the conversation.

"Why did you talk about being used as bait?" Aki asked and felt the fear rise in her heart.

"My brothers believe that Rex is on her way to the store," Leonardo explained honestly and he eyes widened as he saw a movement behind her. "You can escape through the back door and disappear quickly. I'll meet you tomorrow at dawn."

"What about Rex?"

"My plan is to distract her if she comes," Leonardo replied and looked seriously at her. "The most important thing is that you don't get hurt."

"And it isn't important that you'll get hurt?" Aki burst out sharply and the anger flashed in her eyes. "I don't want you to suffer because of me. By the way your plan won't work. If Rex is coming, then she can sense my aura. Do you actually believe that she won't follow me, if she got the chance?"

"Yes I do," Leonardo responded calmly. "She hates us because we fought against her yesterday. Anyway, you need to get to safety before she arrives. She mustn't get the last flutes and you know it. Don't worry; I can take care of myself. It is my choice and I have made my decision."

"You are a very brave, my friend," Aki said and placed her hand on his plastron where his heart was throbbing wildly. "You have a good heart and I appreciate your help more than you think. Promise me that you'll be there at dawn!"

"I promise," Leonardo said and removed her hand. "Now go."

She glanced sadly at him as she passed him to get to the back door. In the hurry, she didn't notice that Leonardo placed the turtle tracker on her black clothes. She would never discover it, and Leonardo felt relief as he silently watched her on her way to the door. All of a sudden, she stopped her movement and she looked at him, giving him an encouraging smile before she walked outside.

"It sounds so pathetic, doesn't it?" Rex said with a scornful laughter as she walked out from the shadow and pretended that she was going to throw up. "Yuk! Oh, promise me that you'll be there at dawn hi hi. I never liked such emotions. They are pure weakness."

Leonardo kept a straight face. The only thing that mattered to him was to give Aki the time she needed to escape from her, and he knew that it shouldn't take long before his brother would arrived to the store. Rex moved closer with a wicked smile on her face. He noticed that she had a flute in her belt and that she didn't have a scratch on her body from the previous battle with his brothers.

"You'll have to practice," Leonardo remarked tartly. "I saw you when you came from the street."

"Why didn't you run away?" Rex asked amazed and gave him a curious look. "I knocked your brothers down yesterday and you know very well that you don't stand a chance against me. Why didn't you run away while you had the chance?"

"You would have killed Aki, if I had done so," Leonardo answered coldly. "I couldn't allow it to happen."

"Why not? It isn't your fight."

"It became my fight when you attacked my brothers," Leonardo replied and looked threateningly at her as he unsheathed his katanas. "I gave

you a promise the last time we met. Do you remember?"

"Indeed, I do," Rex grinned and raised the palm of her hand towards him. "But I'll make sure that you won't succeed. Are you prepared to die, turtle?"

A/N: Oh no, she is back and ready to kill. I'll do my best to get the next chapter ready for you in about two weeks from now but as I told you, I have a lot of studying to do. Please review; I really appreciate your opinions.


	8. A diversion

A/N: Hi there… I just want to make a quick note that I have made some small changes in chapter 6 and 7 because I read about a week ago a bit about the history of China. The emperor didn't exist in 1945 because there had been a revolution in 1911. Afterwards China had a Communistic government. Therefore, I have rewritten the chapters, so you wouldn't get confused later on. Sorry, my mistake! I also want to thank Ramica for the nice review. Enjoy the next chapter…

Leonardo jumped fast to the side when she aimed the blow at him. Even though he avoided her attack, he could still sense the strong vibrations from the wind grazing his shell. He made an attempt at running towards her with quick movements before she got the time to make another attack against him. As she turned around, he made a jump and landed perfectly behind her back. She looked confusingly in the room and gasped as Leonardo kicked hers behind. Leonardo smiled a little when she fell to the ground. Michelangelo had been right. She was too slow to follow his movements.

"I told you that you needed to practice harder," he said contemptuously. "You can't destroy me if you can't catch me."

Rex grinned as she got up from the ground. She glared wickedly at him and gave him a malevolent smile. She would kick the shell out of him and make him beg for mercy. She would make him regret that he had defied her. Once she got her hands on the flutes, she would crush him and his pathetic family. It was only a matter of time.

"It shouldn't be a problem," she said with a glacial stare and looked at the nearest wall where Japanese swords had been placed. "I was one of the best students when it came to the art of fencing."

Leonardo's eyes widened as she grabbed two of the weapons. He attacked her immediately and jumped high to slash her down with his katana. Rex smiled and followed quickly his movement. The swords clanked together as metal met metal, and the two opponents landed on the floor. Leonardo clenched his teeth and spun to face her. Rex brought the sword towards his own weapon and ward off the blow. Rex ducked and tried to kick at his feet, but she didn't get the chance to hit him. Not only did Leonardo see the attack coming but also he had his own ready. In a furry of movement that her eyes couldn't follow, he stepped to the side and kicked her from behind.

Rex turned to him again, and Leonardo ducked quickly to avoid the swiping blade. Still crouched, he saw her next attack as she tried to hook his leg with her foot, but he was faster than she was. He rolled to the side and hit her skin the side of his katana as he rose to his feet. The entire thing took no more than a second. Rex glanced at her wound and faced him with death written in her eyes.

Leonardo jumped back and braced, as she attacked again. Leonardo caught her sword but he could feel that he had a hard time focusing on the battle with her. His mind couldn't stop thinking of Aki. Had she reached safety? He swore by all that he hold sacred that he would find her again and protect her from harm. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he could escape from Rex at this point. He had to be very careful with every move he made, so she didn't get the chance to use her magic against him. His plan was to make a diversion until his brothers showed up, then it would be time for plan C, which he had planned together with Master Splinter in case of something unexpected would turn up. Leonardo pushed her aside and she raised the swords above her head.

"You've have no idea who you're messing with turtle," she said irritably while she shook her head and afterwards gave him an innocent smile. "By the way how is your brother doing?"

She tried deliberately to make him angry and get him to lose more of his concentration than he already had, but Leonardo wasn't the person who let his emotions control his mind. Sometimes it was hard, but he had learned from Master Splinter to use his feelings to his advantage. Suddenly he couldn't stop feeling that something was wrong about their fight. Why didn't Rex use her magical powers against him? He hadn't moved from the spot and yet she hadn't raised her hand. Aki had said that Rex would follow her, if she got the chance, and it troubled his mind that she maybe had a point. Had Rex another plan that he hadn't notice?

"He is doing better than you," Leonardo answered rigidly.

Rex nodded quietly and threw one of the swords to the side. Leonardo knew exactly what she was going to do as she finally raised her hand towards him, and he jumped to the side. Rex couldn't follow his movements and she cursed lowly. She had hoped that the conversation would distract him but she was dealing with the wrong turtle. Leonardo never lowered down his defenses and he was constantly on his guard. Even when he seemed a bit absent, he was prepared to face his enemy. He ran as fast as he could, jump in the air towards her, and raised his katanas to strike her down. Rex dropped her last sword and smiled cruelly. She had a brilliant idea.

"Katanas," Rex yelled out in triumph and she felt the swords arriving into her hands.

Leonardo froze in despair, but he couldn't prevent that his weapons disappeared from his hands. At that moment, he realized what Rex had planned for him and he didn't like the situation at all. He hadn't any possible chance to stop his jump towards her, and Rex looked arrogantly at him as she raised the swords in front of her. He was finished.

Leonardo gasped and was expecting the final strike, when he heard Rex screamed of pain as two Sais flew through the air and hit the palms of her hands. In shock, she dropped the swords and she got a quick glance of the turtle with the red bandana before Leonardo crashed into her.

"Uh uh, it isn't nice to steal other's weapons," Raphael admonished her as he stepped into the shop. "You could get hurt."

"Red, you're still alive," Rex hissed and placed her left hand around the other. "Apparently I have been a little soft-hearted since you have survived our last meeting."

"It is good to see you, guys," Leonardo said gratefully and seized his katanas. "You're just in time."

"We do our best," Donatello smiled and brought out his Bo staff.

"We couldn't let you have all the fun," Raphael grinned and collected his Sais from the floor.

Rex gasped for breath and turned the bloody hands against them. The turtles were unable to escape from the attack in time, and the powerful wind threw them against the wall. Raphael cursed foully, Donatello groaned loudly, and Leonardo's body was shaking.

Rex had the upper hand of the situation and she would show them no mercy. Leonardo swallowed and felt nauseous from being thrown against the wall. It had been a strong wind attack, and as he cast a sidelong glance at his brother, he noticed that they were in the same condition as him. Raphael stared furiously at her. If looks could kill, she would have been dead, but Rex only laughed at him and walked slowly towards them with a glint of self-confidence in her eyes, as they struggled to get back on their feet.

"Did you really think that you would win?" she asked in disbelief. "I'm surprised that you haven't realized that you'll never be able to defeat me."

"At least Aki escaped from you," Leonardo said. "You won't find her now."

"Oh, you're talking about your little diversion, right?" Rex smiled and folded her arms. "Do you really think that I'm an idiot? I must admit that I consider myself a person who enjoys killing my enemies and get my revenge but I can sometimes control my anger and my hate if it is necessary. I have looked forward to cut you into tiny little pieces and serve you to the cats as turtle soup but you mustn't forget that the flutes remains my top priority. The flutes are more important to me than life itself! I had foreseen your pathetic trick even before I walked into the store, and your plan turned out to be perfect for my own purpose."

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked and got misgivings.

If she told him the truth, it would confirm his worst fears. He had felt previously that something had been wrong as he had fought against Rex who had seemed too confident. If Aki had fallen out of the frying pan into the fire because of his decision, then he wouldn't forgive himself. She could be in danger or maybe she was hurt. Leonardo glanced at Rex who had an expressionless look in her face. Why had she gone into the store, if she had figured out his plan? Rex touched his katana with an admiring look in her eyes.

"It is a beautiful weapon," she nodded appreciatively and gazed curiously at him. "Have you made them yourself?"

"What have you done with Aki?" Leonardo asked and finally stood up in his whole height, making him more threatening with the dark glow in his eyes.

As Leonardo stood up, Rex made a swift movement with her hand, sending him and his brothers back toward the wall. It wasn't as strong as the previous one, as she didn't wanted to kill them yet. Like Raphael and Donatello had seen in the other store, she enjoyed the art of torture, and she was planning to make their lives a living hell until she was stopping having fun with it.

"It troubles your mind a lot, doesn't it?" Rex chuckled and stroked her hand softly on the tip of the blade. "I wonder how Aki hade made such an impression on you. After our last meeting, I had to spend a whole day with some people of mine to heal my wounds, and I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Therefore, I planned my own diversion. I had to keep you company while some of my men followed your girlfriend. She should be dead and buried by now but don't feel sorry for her, turtle. You'll soon join the land of the dead."

Rex smirked and walked a few steps to the right to face Raphael, who was trying to get back on his feet. His body was shivering from the great pain that he was feeling from the shock wave. He got on his knees and as he turned his eyes at her, he didn't reveal anything of the pain inside of him. The eyes in the red bandana only showed her a clear gaze of anger and hate. She placed her hand on his chin and smiled cloyingly.

"I had hoped in my heart that you had told your brothers that I was dangerous one to play with," she said nicely and glanced at the two big scratches on his plastron. "I thought I proved it to you yesterday."

"Why should I care of empty threats?" Raphael asked hoarsely and smiled provocatively at her. "Especially when it comes from a second-rate witch who has to cheat to win a battle."

"Mind what you are saying!" Rex warned him coldly. "I'm going to enjoy killing you the most, Red, but I'm in a generous mood today. I'm going to kill your brothers very slowly so you can feel their pain and their screams inside your heart, which you're trying so hard to hide behind your tough exterior. What do you have to say about that?"

"Bring it on woman," Raphael snarled and was immediate hit by a new wave. He laughed and turned his face towards her. "You're going to regret your words when I get my hands on you."

"I believe you said something like that yesterday, and I'm still not scared," Rex shrugged her shoulders and went to Donatello, who had managed to stand up again. He didn't move, as he knew that he it was a better strategic move to wait and hear what she had to say. "You are a mystery on the other hand. I understood the clown, who I threw against the wall, the hothead and the great savior over there, but who are you?"

"Your hands aren't bleeding anymore," Donatello remarked and looked down at the palm of her hands. But you still are going to have some scars."

"Yeah, but at least scars can be removed, " Rex answered in a hard tone. "But you didn't answer my question."

"And why should I?" Donatello asked wonderingly. "You're going to kill us anyway."

"I can't deny that, but I have a great interest in my enemies," Rex said and gave him an ingratiating look. "It isn't every day I meet talking turtles in human size. Well?"

"I'm an engineer among other things," Donatello informed her. "My specialty is science."

"Which is going to be your doom," Raphael added and grinned as he managed to get back on his knees.

"What do you mean by that?" Rex asked and turned her back to Donatello.

"I'm astonished Rex. Did you actually believe that we were stupid enough to run into the store unprepared?"

"Plan C," Donatello nodded in satisfaction.

"Precisely, Master Splinter," Leonardo said calmly.

The old rat walked out from the shadow by the door where he had been hiding while his sons distracted Rex with their conversation. When his sons had told him about their surveillance of the store, he had insisted to assist them in case that something went wrong. Rex turned around and faced the newcomer. She stared at their sensei open-mouthed and her eyes widened by the incredible sight. It was a huge rat, which was standing in front of her!

"No one shall destroy my family," Master Splinter said and pointed threateningly at her with his cane. "It has been destroyed once and I won't let it happen again."

He threw the orange and purple eggs towards her. Rex shrieked as she thought for a moment that it was a new bomb but glanced confusingly at the rat when nothing occurred. Master Splinter smiled patiently while he rested his hand on the top of the cane. Rex took one-step forward when it suddenly started to itch on her arm. She found out too late that the eggs were the same as the one, which had been full of itching powder last night.

"Do you think that an egg will stop me?" Rex hissed and gazed furiously at the rat. "You're going to regret this, you disgusting creature!"

She raised the hand once again but Splinter moved fast with lightning speed from side to side which made it impossible for her to aim a blow at him. Splinter ran, jumped above the head and landed behind her back. He took a firm grip on the cane and spun quickly in a circle before she turned around to face him. Splinter stood quietly as she hit the ground. The turtles were watching every move as they rose from the floor, pretty impressed by their father.

"That was awesome Master Splinter," Raphael laughed.

Donatello smiled a little as he looked at Rex who laughed hysterically while she scratched her arms repeatedly. She tried hopelessly to get on her feet. Donatello turned his back towards her because he didn't want to pity her. She deserved it after the evil things she had done. Donatello sighed and looked irresolutely at Master Splinter.

"What are we going to do now?"

"We're leaving the woman on the floor and we're getting out of here at once," Master Splinter ordered, glancing at Rex as he spoke. "We don't know how long the eggs will work."

"Why do we have to go? Let's get her while we have the chance," Raphael protested and walked towards her with his Sais in his hands.

"No, Raph!" Leonardo burst out and grabbed his brother's arm. "Master Splinter is right and we have to find Aki. She is in danger."

Raphael was about to argue against his elder brother when he saw the look in Leonardo's face. Raphael had never seen him so tensed up and worried before and he realized that Leonardo was deeply concerned about her. Raphael closed his eyes a few seconds then he shook resignedly his head as he opened them again, looking seriously at his eldest brother.

"We shouldn't let her go Leo," Raphael said hoarsely and removed his hand. "She is going to hurt other people."

"I know that it is a hard choice, Raphael," Splinter nodded sadly, resting his hand on his son's shoulder. "But this isn't the right time to attack her. We have talked about this before. We can't defeat her at this point."

"You're not going anywhere," Rex laughed loudly and tried to rise with great difficulty. "I'm not done with you yet."

"Maybe so, but we're done with you," Leonardo said and threw a blue egg on the floor near her feet.

Leonardo seized his katanas as he ran to the door and sheathed his weapons on the back. Rex shrieked of rage when they disappeared out of sight but she couldn't follow them because it was itching all over her body. Donatello brought out the remote control to the Battle Shell from his belt, which opened the double doors on the back of the car. He hurried to the driver's seat and started the engine. Master Splinter sat down next to Raphael and examined his wound but luckily, it hadn't opened when he hit the wall. Leonardo turned on the turtle tracker, which Donatello had installed in the car.

"She isn't far from here," Leonardo stated and looked at the screen with relief in his face. "And she is still moving."

"Is somebody going to tell me what the hell happened in there?" Raphael asked sharply. "I would like an explanation. We finally had her but we ran away as miserable cowards."

"You're wrong," Leonardo contradicted and shook his head. "You don't see the big picture. If you had touched her, she would have killed you on the spot. She can read your face like an open book, Raph."

"What?"

"She wanted you to attack her, my son," Master Splinter explained gently and gave him a wry smile. "It looks good. Your wound hasn't suffered any damage from the battle."

"And it is strange because…? Raphael asked confused and twirled his Sai with his hand. "I don't get it. We knew from the beginning when we walked out of the cave that it would be a battle to the death if we met her again."

"That is true," Splinter nodded. "But it was never the idea that you should meet her again until you had regained your full strength and had found out her weaknesses."

"But we did meet her," Raphael protested indignantly. "This is exactly the reason why we should have continued instead of…"

"Raphael, I don't want to discuss it with you!" Master Splinter interrupted and looked at his son with great sadness in his eyes. "Why won't you listen to us? Raphael, Your temper is easily to fire and it takes a long time to cool down, and Rex knows that. She wished that you would go after her when she seemed weak. Believe me; she didn't arrive to the store because she wanted her vengeance on you or your brothers. She wanted you to forget what you came for in the first place."

"I don't understand…"

"Aki and the flutes," Donatello replied and turned to the left at the end of the driveway. "Rex tried to prevent us from protecting Aki who has the last flutes she needs."

"Of course," Raphael remarked as he thought about their conversation in the store. "She kept talking about her diversion and how she had tricked us all. She was basically trying to convince us that Aki was dead so we would fight against her."

"Not so fast Donatello!" Master Splinter ordered his son and turned his attention back to Raphael. "You're right that you could have fought against Rex, but you would have died trying to destroy her. Rex isn't a great fighter compared to you, but she is still dangerous and you'll have to find the solution to escape from her magic before you can stop the battle."

Raphael nodded silently as he understood what Master Splinter meant with his words. It had been a diversion from both sides but nevertheless he had been blind about the matter, and he felt uncomfortable by the thought that Rex had been able to see right through him.

"Donatello, don't turn sharply in those curves," Master Splinter reminded him with a firm voice.

"Master Splinter, you have been a back-seat driver the whole way," Donatello sighed resignedly.

"We're at the signal," Leonardo announced, and his brother stopped the car. "As far as I can see, she is moving constantly on the roof. We have to follow her on foot."

The five mutants ran out of the Battle Shell and began crawling up the fire escape. Donatello was the first who reached the top of the building, and he was stunned for a second by the horrible sight. Several men surrounded Aki, and she didn't look good at all. In every nook and cranny, laid some of the men unconscious but as Donatello looked at her, it was clear to him that she was in trouble. Her breathing was loudly and gasping and her face was sweaty and red from the blows. He didn't hesitate to give her his aid, taking his Bo staff from his back and sent four men flying to each corner. Aki turned short and smiled happily, as she recognized him.

"Hi Aki," Donatello greeted cheerfully and hooked his weapon around his opponent's ankle who fell to the ground. "We thought that you could use a little hand."

"Thanks," she said gratefully. "Where are the others?"

"We're here," Leonardo said and kicked two men who approached him.

"Save some for me," Raphael growled and pulled out his Sais with a look of expectancy. "I'm really going to enjoy this."

"What about Rex?" Aki asked as she grabbed one of the men's arms, twirling it around on his back. "Did she show up?"

"She did," Donatello replied dryly.

"What happened?"

"Let's just say that she lost with a smile," Raphael remarked and took a villain by the scruff of the neck.

Donatello held both his hands on the Bo staff as he raised it as a shield against the opponent's baseball bat, which was aiming for his head. The villain was a big strong man who swung the bat wildly from side to side. Donatello avoided his attack and jabbed at his midsection with the tip of his staff.

"Donatello, you have to get more control of your frontal attacks," Splinter commanded for the building beside the rooftop where he had a complete view over the area.

Donatello nodded to show his Sensei that he understood. His opponent's eyes glowed with anger as he attacked again with the bat but Donatello ducked and spun around with a speed faster than the eye could see. Donatello faced the man with pity in his eyes as the man groaned with pain.

"You're too slow," he smiled and continued to the next one.

Leonardo was fighting next to Aki while he covered her back. He hadn't had the time to get a real look at her but he had noticed that she had gotten some injuries on her knees and her arms. He swung his katanas against his opponent who ducked from his blow. These villains weren't good warriors. Their strength was their number and not their fighting skills and it was easily to fool them. Leonardo repeated his action a few times and stopped suddenly. He grinned as his opponent ducked again.

"Got you," he chuckled and kicked him.

"Leonardo, concentrate your mind on the battle!" Splinter admonished.

Aki turned to look at the stranger who had said Leonardo's name and gasped astonishingly. Leonardo had mentioned that he had a father who also was his teacher in the art of Ninjitsu, but he could have warned her that he had been a gigantic rat.

"Is that your Sensei?" Aki asked and brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes.

"Yes, that's him," Leonardo answered with pride and knocked down another villain. "He is fantastic. He has looked forward to meet you."

"Great, then I hope, I survive," Aki mumbled gloomily.

Raphael didn't have the big difficulty fighting against his opponents. He hit one man after another and enjoyed every second of it. He smiled when he felt two arms trying to grab his neck from behind but he quickly seized the man's hands and threw him above his shoulder. The villain cried out when his back landed on the hard surface.

"Come on, how do you guys expect to beat us?" Raphael asked in wonder and smashed his fist into an opponent's nose. "Come on, fight back a little. I'm getting bored."

"Raphael, you mustn't… Aki look out!" Master Splinter shouted loudly.

Aki turned around when she heard the old rat yell but she never saw the attack coming. All of sudden she felt a terrible pain in her neck and she groaned as she raised her hand to discover what had hit her. Leonardo's face was pale when he saw the small dart in her hand. Master Splinter had already spotted the perpetrator who had been hiding on the opposite side of the rooftop and jumped after him. Aki moaned and felt how she lost the feeling in her legs. Leonardo gasped and grabbed her before she lost her balance. Raphael knocked down the last villain and went to his brother.

"What in the hell happened?"

"She got hit by a dart," Leonardo explained and placed her gently on the ground. "Don't worry Aki. Everything is going to be okay."

"I'm…I'm getting so dizzy," Aki whispered weakly and felt the darkness surround her. "And the flutes…the flutes…"

She couldn't neither feel Leonardo's strong arms holding her anymore nor could she feel the wind stroking her chin. The darkness of the night seemed to swallow her completely. In the background, she thought that she could hear Leonardo's voice speaking comfortingly to her, and she wanted to answer him. She wished to let him know that she could still hear him, but it was impossible. The only thing left was darkness.

"Aki," Leonardo whispered lowly as he caressed her face. "She is unconscious. We have to help her."

"What did she mean about the flutes?" Raphael asked in wonder and took the small dart. "What do you think of it Donny?"

"It is definitely a poison dart," Donatello concluded and studied it carefully. "But I'm not sure which poison it is."

"She is still breathing," Raphael said and placed his fingers around her wrist. "Her pulse is weak. Damn!"

"I don't like the paleness in her face. Where did Master Splinter go?" Leonardo asked and slipped gently his hand under her head, supporting it and then lifted her up with his other arm under her legs.

"He followed the person who shot the dart after her," Raphael told him.

"And it was very useful, my son," the old rat said and joined them. "Let me see the wound, Leonardo."

Master Splinter examined the wound and the dart carefully. Donatello and Raphael waited silently with Leonardo to hear his decision. He was the person who had the greatest knowledge about medical science. He knew a lot about different herbs and plants from his days in Japan. He had cured their diseases when they were children. As mutant turtles, they couldn't go to the hospital if they got sick and Splinter had learned all about the subject after he had decided to take care of the small baby turtles. Splinter gave the dart back to Donatello who placed it in his belt.

"We have to take her to the lair," he said and looked seriously at his sons. "If we don't give her the treatment as quickly as possible then she is going to die. I think I know the poison and I have the herbs in my room, but we have to investigate it carefully. Therefore, you analyse the poison dart immediately when we get home Donatello. We have no time to waste."

"But if we bring her down to the lair, then…" Raphael started, but trailed off when he saw the look in his father's eyes.

"The hospital doesn't know the poison and she will die before they will found the solution," Master Splinter explained patiently. "I'm very much against the idea of bringing strangers to our home. We have been lucky so far but it has been a risk every time. Unfortunately, I can't think of another solution. She will die in the next couple of hours if she doesn't get help."

Leonardo carried her the whole way down from the roof, holding her tight against his own body as they crawled down the fire escape. Leonardo placed her gently on the floor when Donatello started the car. Raphael sat down on the passenger seat opposite to him while Splinter sat down on the floor next to his eldest son.

"Do you believe that she is going to make it Sensei?" Leonardo asked and gazed worryingly at his father.

"There is a good chance, Leonardo," Splinter assured him and placed his fingers on his son's hand. "If I'm right, the poison kills fast and heals slow. It paralyses her body and her heart, but we still have the time on our hand. However, you'll have to be patient. It may take a few days before she wakes up."

"How do you know the poison?" Raphael asked curiously. "Have you seen it before?"

"No, I can't say, I have," Splinter shook mildly his head. "But I have heard about it in Japan. Besides, I had a little talk with our friend who fired the dart at her. He told me everything about the poison and its' purpose. Sometimes I can be very persuasive."

"Cool," Raphael remarked with a wicked smile and leaned comfortable back in his seat.

A/N: So, what did you think about the chapter? I was thrilled that I had a little more time to get the chapter ready. I'm really looking forward to next week. I'm going on holiday with my family to Germany. Well, the next chapter will be there on Friday, two weeks from now.


	9. Faith

A/N: Hi everyone. I'm back from my holiday and it was nice to have some time to write the next chapter for you. Thanks Ramica, I really enjoyed reading your review. Enjoy the next chapter…

Michelangelo leaned comfortable back in the pillows and turned over the pages in his new comic, which Donatello had given him for two days ago after he had visited the junkyard looking for stuff, which they could use in the lair. It wasn't actually a new comic but Michelangelo had never read it before. The comic was light brown of age and some of the pages were missing but he didn't care. The story was about Spiderman's first meeting with The Chameleon who was one of his favourite villains. He could be one with his environment by copying the faces from people around him. When Michelangelo thought about it, The Chameleon acted like a ninja who was hiding in the shadows in the dark night. He grinned by the thought. He loved being a ninja and a turtle. It was the most awesome thing in the world.

Michelangelo cast a sidelong glance at the little clock, which was next to his temporary bed. It was time for breakfast and his stomach made a big noise. He had awaken early in the morning without being able to get back to sleep so there was no reason why he should get up from his bed. Michelangelo put the comic back nicely into the bundle on the floor and remove his continental quilt whereupon he got up and yawned loudly.

Three days had gone since his brothers and Master Splinter had arrived to the lair with Aki. Michelangelo had lay down on his bed and rested most of the time because it had hurt too much to walk but his brothers had informed him that Aki was well after the circumstances. Master Splinter had succeeded to make an antidote, and her breathing was now normal. The only problem was that she still was unconscious because of the poison's paralysing effect.

Michelangelo had once tried to visit her but Master Splinter had insisted that he stayed in bed, as long she wasn't awake. Michelangelo knew that his father was right and frankly, he didn't mind to stay in his bed if he could read his comics and hear music from his cd player. He stepped out of his room and walked carefully because of the slight pain in his body. His muscles haven't moved a lot in the past few days and he needed to take it slow for a while.

In the big room, Master Splinter had sat down in the armchair looking at the many TVs, which Michelangelo had installed together with Donatello when they had moved to the lair. His teacher rested his body on his knees and had placed his hands on them while he gazed concentrated at the news. On the sofa, there was a thin blanket on the armrest. Leonardo has suggested that they should place Aki in his room since he was the only one who slept on the floor using a simple mattress as bed. Originally, they had considered placing her in Michelangelo's room so they could watch her all the time but there wasn't room enough because the witty turtle didn't clean up his mess as much as he should. Therefore, it had been decided that Leonardo would sleep on the sofa during the nights, while Aki was unconscious. Michelangelo placed his hand on the pillar and looked at his father who seemed to be lost in thought.

"You're awake, my son."

"Yeah, it is time for breakfast," Michelangelo smiled and licked his lips as he rubbed his hand in a circle on his stomach. "I could really use a solid meal. I could eat a horse."

Michelangelo was the cook in the small family. He loved to make food, and he was quite good at it, especially when it came to pizzas! When he had waked up this morning, he had decided to try to make breakfast if he was able to stand on his legs. He had appreciated his brothers' help and service but at this moment, he was just in the mood for his own scramble eggs.

"That doesn't surprise me," the old rat smiled and turned his attention back to the news.

"Where are the others?" Michelangelo asked curiously. "Are they still asleep?"

"Leonardo is in his room and keeps a watchful eye on Aki," Master Splinter informed him.

"Again?"

"He is keeping an eye on her condition," Master Splinter said calmly. "I think that Donatello is working in his workshop and Raphael is sleeping in his room, so you have to be quiet."

Michelangelo nodded silently and left his father. He was about to walk to the kitchen when he stopped in front of Leonardo's room. His eldest brother had decorated his bedroom after the Japanese style and the smell of the incense was assaulting Michelangelo's nostrils as he entered the room. His brother had beautiful lanterns around the corners and the door because they made him relax more. Leonardo was a typical bookworm particularly when it came to study the history of Japan or battle tactics, and everywhere there were small tables with old scrolls or open books. To the left of the door he had placed a big bookcase, which was filled up with different books and scrolls. Michelangelo had never understood why his brother studied so hard. On the wall hung Leonardo's bike when he didn't use it, and in the opposite direction of the room where were some weights, which Leonardo trained with sometimes in the evenings. His bed was at the right side below a spectacular Chinese painting, which they had found at the junkyard. Leonardo was kneeling near the unconscious woman while he placed a wet cloth on her forehead. Michelangelo sighed deeply as he walked to his brother.

"How is she, Leo?"

"Mikey, you're standing again," his brother exclaimed happily with a wry smile and gave him a warm hug. "It's great to see that you have recovered your strength again."

"I'm glad that I can bring a smile to your face," Michelangelo noticed tartly and looked questioningly at him. "What has happened to you lately? I haven't seen much of you the last three days. It has only been Raph and Donny who has talked with me since you came home with her."

"I'm sorry, Mike, I really am, but I have been here with Aki most of the time. Master Splinter told me that Aki would survive the effect of the poison after she got the antidote," Leonardo responded quietly and glanced at his bed with a worrying look in his eyes. "But if it true then why doesn't she wake up? I mean, it has been three days since the attack."

"I don't know Leo," his younger brother replied sincerely. "Master Splinter explained to me that the poison had paralyzed her body and it would take some time before she would be able to move. I wouldn't concern so much about it, if I were you. She is going to make it. She is a tough woman."

"You're probably right," Leonardo nodded sadly.

"You'll bet I am," Michelangelo grinned and patted his brother gently on the shoulder. "Life is a beach, bro. It is filled with light, warmth and a lot of fun. You are just going to have faith."

"I'll try," Leonardo promised gloomily.

"You should," Michelangelo advised him strongly and smiled reassuringly at him. "Are you going to have some breakfast? Don't worry; it isn't Donatello who is making it."

"No, I'm not hungry," Leonardo answered in a low tone.

"Are you ill?" Michelangelo burst out and laid his hand teasingly at Leonardo's forehead. "No, you're cold as ice, which wouldn't make the great difference since you're cold-blooded."

Even though Michelangelo was merely joking with his brother, he was astonished over his brother who wasn't the type to ditch a meal. The worst thing about it was that Michelangelo knew that Leonardo was sincere about the matter. When his brother had made up his mind, then there was nothing he could do to convince him otherwise. At this point Michelangelo was grateful that Raphael was asleep. If he had heard, what Leonardo was saying he would have freaked out for sure. They all had a good hunch that it was Aki who was the reason for Leonardo's change in behaviour but Raphael wouldn't have accepted it easily without a fight. He wouldn't have allowed his brother to ruin himself because of her. Michelangelo recalled the previous night where he had spoken with his brothers about subject.

They were concerned about the strange effect, which Aki seemed to have on Leonardo as if she had cast a spell on him. It was disturbing because they had never seen their leader behaved like that before. It hadn't been clear in the beginning, but had gotten worse for each day since she had been attacked. He hadn't left her side the last days and it was only Master Splinter who was able to force him to lie on the sofa so he could get some sleep. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few hours before he continued to watch over her again.

"But I'm making my specialty," Michelangelo persuaded but the expression in Leonardo's face didn't change. "No? That's your lookout. Well, I'll better be going on my way to Donny."

"That is a good idea. I think that he had lost track of time. Master Splinter told me that he has worked at full stretch the last couple of hours."

"Is he making some kind of super weapon against Rex?" Michelangelo asked hopefully.

"I don't know. You better ask him yourself."

Michelangelo walked just outside the room in the hall, stopped spontaneously, and then turned to Leonardo. For a brief moment, he saw how tired and weary his elder brother looked. Then it was gone as suddenly as it came.

"You going to be all right, Leo?" he asked him, gently.

"Yeah," he replied softly.

Michelangelo wasn't totally convinced but nodded anyway. He walked out the door and disappeared from view. Leonardo sighed deeply and turned his attention to Aki. The words Michelangelo had said earlier swam in his head. His brother was right, he had to trust her strength and have faith in her. The negative thoughts wouldn't help him in the end, it would only make everything worse. He gave a resigned shake of his head. He wanted to believe it that she would wake up, but it was hard. However, he would fight with all he had to save her. Leonardo glanced at Aki, really studying her. What was it about her that tugged so forcefully within him? He leaned forward, and folded his arms on the mattress, resting his chin on top of them. He watched her with a soft gaze as she breathed slowly. He clasped her hand gently; her slender fingers almost disappeared in his big hand. Not knowing what came over him, he let all his feelings tumble out.

"You must survive this," he whispered quietly to her and caressed her chin, "I want to get to know you, Aki. I want to find out why you're making me feel this way."

He released her hand after a minute, and resumed his previous position. He wanted to stay with her until she woke up.

Michelangelo heard his stomach rumble even more after he had left his brother's room and therefore he decided to wait to visit Donny until he had finished the cooking. All the talk about breakfast had made his stomach going crazy. Michelangelo could hear a big snoring as he passed Raphael's room. That turtle was simply incredible noisy when he was asleep. It was a complete torture to listen to him.

Michelangelo didn't feel like to spoil his hearing and made a long detour round Raphael's room to avoid his snoring. He looked for a moment in the kitchen and stopped himself before he went into the room. He could hear the sound of a hammer coming from Donatello's workshop. He gazed at the kitchen again and sighed disappointed. He could already taste the food in his mouth but he was unable to stop his curiosity. He had to see what Donatello was doing before he started to make breakfast. It was also a good opportunity to ask him if he wanted to get something to eat. When he entered the workshop, he noticed Donatello who was busy to weld two pieces of metal on a weird scrapheap with strange gadgets on the body and the large square head. Michelangelo stood behind his elder brother to look over his shoulder.

"Hey Don, what are you doing?"

"Ahh!" Donatello screamed alarmed by his presence and turned his welding apparatus to his brother's face.

"Woah, take it easy," Michelangelo exclaimed with his hands protecting his face. "It is just me."

"Mikey, how many times do I have to tell you that you must never sneak up on a turtle who is welding," Donatello said mild reproachfully and turned off the welding apparatus. "You are going to be hurt and get some serious burns if you're not more careful."

Michelangelo tried to hide his smile from his brother but he didn't succeed. Donatello looked comical with his purple welder's goggles. His elder brother removed them and gave him a sternly look. They both knew that this wasn't the first time that Michelangelo had surprised him while he was working and Donatello doubted that it would be the last either. Michelangelo could be so irresponsible sometimes and his warnings would go in through one ear and out of the other. Michelangelo grinned and showed him his shell.

"It'll look nice with the dark bruises, don't you think?" Michelangelo chuckled and stood by his side. "I was just wondering what you was doing inhere? This thing doesn't look a super weapon against Rex."

"It isn't," Donatello responded calmly and placed his equipment on the table. "This is my automatic kitchen robot."

"An automatic kitchen robot?" Michelangelo repeated in wonder and massaged his tender neck. "Why in the shell have you built that thing?"

"I have my reasons. His name is Akbot," Donatello answered shortly and averted his eyes from his brother.

"Come on, Donny. Why have you built it?" Michelangelo asked again.

"Why? Because I'm not deaf, Mikey," Donatello said and pointed accusingly at him. "The gastronomic cook failure?"

"Hi hi," Michelangelo laughed loudly at the nickname which he had invented as a description of his brother's bad cooking. "Hey, you got to admit that we have to buy food when you have made dinner."

"My food is delicious," Donatello protested. "At least I think so."

"As the only one among us," Michelangelo commented dryly. "Can you remember last time you made pizzas?"

Donatello made a grimace as he cast his mind back a few weeks ago when he had decided to surprise his family with pizzas for dinner. Even to this day, he didn't know what had gone wrong that night. It wasn't a difficult recipe and he had done the best he could. However, the pizzas had become very uneatable, Raphael had used the pizza and thrown it to Michelangelo as a Frisbee. His brothers had spent the entire evening making fun of him and his cooking while they had played with the pizzas. Donatello had never felt so embarrassed before in his life.

"They were kind alike deadly shurikens with cheese," Michelangelo continued laughing and rested his hand on his brother's shoulder. "You better face the truth that you're a lousy cook."

"Okay Mikey," Donatello signed despondently. "I get the point. By the way, it doesn't matter anymore because Akbot is going to prepare the dinners now instead of me. I still need to fix a few things but we'll soon be ready to eat his first meal."

"When are you going to test him?" Michelangelo asked interested.

"He should be finished tomorrow," Donatello replied while he dried his hands in a towel.

"An Akbot," Michelangelo mumbled by himself and turned his gaze to his elder brother. "I'm really impressed by your work but I have to admit that I thought that you were making a weapon."

"We haven't heard from Rex the past three days," Donatello reminded him softly and hung the dirty towel on the wall. "We can't do anything when we don't have a clue what is going on out there. We know that there aren't any flutes left in the stores but we don't know why she wanted them in the first place. This is the question, which Aki probably holds the answer.

"And she is a real sleeping beauty," Michelangelo said and smiled. "Hey, I got a fabulous idea! Maybe I should give her a kiss. The prince used that method in the fairytale and it worked."

"Despite the fact that you aren't a prince, your plan wouldn't work. It is more likely that you'll give her a terrible shock for life," Donatello said and shook his head. "Fairytales don't exist in the reality Mikey, and even if they did, then the sleeping beauty was cursed to sleep for a hundred years by the wicked witch. I doubt seriously that Aki is going to sleep that long."

"Yeah, so do you want some food or not?"

"It is sweet music to my ears," Donatello replied with a wry smile as he walked out of the workshop with Michelangelo. "Are you making your famous scramble eggs?"

"That's for sure, bro!" Michelangelo said and went into the kitchen. "If you can set the table for breakfast then I'm going to make a divine meal for you."

Michelangelo opened the fridge and took the eggs. Donatello went to the counter and seized the plates on the shelf. Michelangelo hummed cheerfully as he cracked the eggs on the frying pan. He was in a good mood and felt great this morning because the pains didn't hurt that much thanks to Donatello. His brother had told him later that it was a special cream, which Master Splinter had made to him in case that he got hurt in the workshop. Donatello had set the table when a familiar figure showed up in the door.

"Hi Raph. Have you slept tight?"

"Judging from his snoring, I would say that he has slept like a baby," Michelangelo grinned and finished with frying the last round of the scramble eggs. "His snoring was so loud that I'm surprised that the humans above didn't hear him."

"Shut up lame brain!" Raphael snarled grumpy and sniffed. "This smells good. Scramble eggs?"

"The one and only great recipe made by the master chef himself," Michelangelo bragged and poured the food on the plates.

"This certainly looks delicious, my sons," Master Splinter said and joined them at the table. "The breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It brings energy to your body and your mind."

"I could say a lot of things about you Mikey but I have to admit that you know how to make scramble eggs," Raphael praised in his own way and took another mouthful of the food. "What about Leo? Why isn't he here?"

Michelangelo cast an uncomfortable look at his elder brother and hesitated. He feared how Raphael was going to react to his answer. He knew his brother's temper as well as anyone in the room, and he didn't want to start a new argument. At this moment, he gazed at his father and saw the understanding and calming glint in his eyes while Raphael waited for his response. Michelangelo felt more relaxed as his father assured him without words that he would stop Raphael if he went too far.

"He said that he wasn't hungry," Michelangelo replied honestly. "He has been watching Aki since he woke up this morning."

"This is unbelievable," Raphael exclaimed and shook his head. "What the hell is wrong with him these days? Now he doesn't want to eat because of her. Did he tell you why he wasn't going to eat anything?"

"No, he just said that he wasn't hungry," Michelangelo told him.

"I can't understand why he acts so weird," Raphael said and looked annoyed at Michelangelo. "If you didn't have the courage to persuade him to eat something, then I'm going to tell him a few home truths."

"Raphael, you're _not_ going away from that chair," Master Splinter commanded sharply as his son was about to leaving the table. "You should only care about eating your breakfast and leave your brother alone. It is none of your business if he is hungry or not."

"None of my business?" Raphael grumbled and starred frustratingly at his father. "He is our brother and he doesn't want to tell any of us what the hell is happening to him. I'm worried about him, Sensei."

"He'll talk with us when he is ready, my son," the old rat said and looked seriously at him. "I'm aware of your concern, and we all share your feelings but we can't force Leonardo to tell us anything if he doesn't want to. You have to be patient regarding your brother. He is going through a hard time and he needs support from all of you."

The silence was heavy in the room a couple of seconds after Splinter's rebuke. Raphael's eyes flared with defiance at his father who firmly returned his gaze. He didn't want to leave his brother alone when he could see that something was wrong with him. The girl had obsessed Leonardo somehow but apparently, he was the only one who wanted to deal with it. However, he knew that he couldn't do anything at this point when Master Splinter was in this mood. Raphael sighed deeply and averted his eyes from his father in a quiet acceptation of his decision. Michelangelo and Donatello looked at each other with relief written in their faces. It was over for now.

"You can't deny that it is strange," Raphael remarked tartly and seized his fork. "He didn't behave this way when we brought April to the lair."

"But April wasn't almost dying from us," Donatello reminded him. "And she wasn't badly hurt when we saved her from the mousers either. She only fainted by the sight of us which we can't blame her. She had gone through a lot that day."

"What an impression we have on the women, huh guys?" Michelangelo smiled and showed himself from the best angles. "But I'm a pretty hot turtle if I should say so myself."

Donatello giggled over his brother's silly behaviour and Master Splinter was glad when the good atmosphere returned. The old rat had to hide a smile as he observed the expression in Raphael's face. He seemed completely shocked as if he couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Is it possible to turn you off?" Raphael asked annoyed and faced Donatello. "I don't think that it is the reason Don. It has something to do with Aki but I don't think that it is because she was attacked. No, it is something else."

"Maybe he has a crush on her," Michelangelo suggested and ate the rest of his breakfast.

Michelangelo's eyes widened with confusion as the sounds of chewing ceased at his words, and all eyes turned to stare astonishingly at him. Raphael nearly choked over the scramble eggs, swallowing quickly.

"Say what?" he managed.

"Couldn't it be possible?" Michelangelo asked and continued his thoughts. "I was just thinking that he had been with her and cared for her since the day she got poisoned by the dart. It could mean that he was soft on her."

Raphael knew that his youngest brother might have a point but he couldn't buy Michelangelo's suggestion on the fact that Leonardo had protected Aki. He had seemed worried about her health but it was a typical reaction for their big brother to care about everyone in the world. Leonardo had a great feeling of duty and responsibility for other peoples and himself. Raphael cast his mind back to those times where he had been patrolling with Leonardo to protect innocent humans who were attacked in the dark by criminals. It was normal that he wanted to protect and give his aid to humans if they needed it. That didn't mean that he had a crush on them.

"He doesn't even know her!" Raphael protested wildly and turned to Michelangelo who looked innocently at him. "Don't give me that Mikey! This is Leo we are talking about, not you."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Michelangelo asked offended.

"You get a crush on a woman the first moment you catch sight of her," Raphael claimed and smiled cruelly as he was teasing his brother.

"That is not true!" Michelangelo denied intensely.

"Please correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you the one who asked to keep April when we first found her?" Raphael asked with a wry smile.

Michelangelo looked stunned at him for a short moment whereupon he roared with laughter. Raphael returned his gaze with a triumphing look in his face as he had made his point. It was true that Michelangelo had said it to his brothers even though it wasn't because he had a crush on her. He had been joking around like he always did. April had been the first human ever to visit the lair and Michelangelo could clearly recall her reactions when she opened her eyes. She had accepted them and it had convinced him that there was a chance to find new friends above the sewers.

"Okay, but she was the only one," Michelangelo chuckled.

"There haven't been any others," Raphael remarked acidly.

"What about Karai then?" Michelangelo asked and smiled a little.

"Shredder's daughter doesn't count," Raphael replied. "I was merely talking about women who we actually liked."

"But Leonardo liked her," Donatello said and added quickly before Raphael got the time to answer him. "Nevertheless we have to consider that Mikey might be right. It could explain Leonardo's reactions the last days or what do you believe, Sensei?"

"It is nothing we have to worry about this moment. Leonardo is dealing with many emotions in his mind, and they are confusing him," the old rat said finally after being silent for a few seconds. "The world and our choices bring many obstacles in our life. Some of them can be overcome while other remains on the way like dark shadows. Aki's illness can be overcome but Leonardo needs to have faith as well as you."

His sons nodded in acknowledgement and Michelangelo began to clean the table as Donatello removed the plates. Raphael walked to sink, turning on the water while Master Splinter took his cane and left the kitchen. He hoped that his sons listened to him. He felt deep inside that Leonardo needed their support more than ever. Splinter could sense his son's confusion but he also knew that Leonardo would confide himself to him when he was ready. All of a sudden, he saw Leonardo coming out of his room. His oldest son hurried to his father, his face shining with happiness.

"Sensei, she is awake," he announced quickly and ran to the kitchen. "What are you guys doing? Come on. Aki is awake!"

"If you insist," Raphael remarked sourly and turned off the water. "We are going to let the remaining food on the plates rot away for all I care."

Leonardo didn't hear his brother's comment because he had already left the kitchen. Raphael cursed and threw irritatingly the washing-up brush down in the sink. Why did he have to drop everything in his hands because she had regained consciousness? He wasn't the one who was shirking like a certain other person he could think of. Michelangelo smiled satisfyingly and glanced at the plates. He didn't mind that the dishwashing was cancelled.

"Wipe off the grin of your face," Raphael mumbled hoarsely. "We're going to take the dishwashing afterwards."

"And? I'm known for my smile and my laugher," Michelangelo said and his smile got even wider just to tease him. "I bring light and joy to the world."

"Cut the crap Mikey or she is going to pass out again," Raphael said and walked out of the kitchen.

Michelangelo stared resignedly after his brother and stopped before he left the room. He gazed over his shoulder to see Donatello who hadn't moved since Leonardo's appearance. He had a worried and yet absent look in his eyes as he gazed straight into the wall. Michelangelo walked to him and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you coming Donny?"

"What?" he said confused, and his eyes lightened up as he looked at him. "Yeah, I'm coming. I was just thinking of a couple of questions which I wanted to ask her."

"Is it the reason why you looked so troubled?" Michelangelo asked and took the towel, which Donatello was holding in his hands. "You were totally in another world, dude."

"It is nothing," Donatello assured him and smiled at his brother's doubting face. "Honestly, I'm fine."

Michelangelo nodded and started to talk on the way to Leonardo's room but Donatello didn't hear much of it. He didn't want to show his youngest brother that he was deeply concerned. It had been wonderful that Aki had awakened but he didn't look forward to ask her the questions about the flutes. He knew that Michelangelo or Raphael hadn't considered the situation but he had. When they had brought Aki to the lair, Donatello had talked with Leonardo about his problems.

The flutes' unknown abilities scared him. They had to be horrific since Rex sought them so badly. Donatello was convinced that the Chinese zodiac signs played a bigger part than they had expected earlier, and Leonardo had agreed with him. Before Donatello stepped into Leonardo's room, he heaved a sigh and cleared his mind. It was the time of truth.

A/N: Well, that was all for now. I hope that you liked the chapter. The next chapter is the most important of them all, because this is the time where everything about Aki, Rex and the background of the magical flutes are going to be revealed. Therefore, it is a long chapter so it will definitely take about two or maybe three weeks before I'm finished with the translation. It depends on how busy I am with my studies at school but please feel welcome to add a review. It is nice to know what you're thinking about the story so far. See you soon!


	10. The truth about the flutes

A/N: Well, I finally got finished after some busy weeks and I'm happy that I managed to get this chapter finished in time. I also have to admit that this chapter actually is one of my own favourites. Thank you all for the reviews! I have really enjoyed reading them. In addition, I just want to say Ramica that I can never thank you enough for your help and your kind words mean much to me. Enjoy the next chapter it is a long one and it takes places a few minutes before the last one ended…

Aki felt horrible when she regained her conscious. She tried to move her head but it felt too heavy as if it was made of cement. She had a splitting headache and her throat was dry as sandpaper. Her body was weak and she tried to recall what had happened to her. She remembered to behavingheard the sound of Leonardo's voice when something had hit her in her neck. His voice had sounded so soothing and reassuring that she hadn't been afraid. Somehow, she sensed that she was in safety though she was unable to open her eyes. A quiet moan issued from deep in her throat and she tried to move her hand.

"Aki, are you awake?"

It was Leonardo and Aki felt that she was going to cry by the sound of his voice. She couldn't explain exactly why she was feeling this way but she was just happy to hear that he was by her side. He sounded so near, and yet so far away, as if she were listening to him through a thick wall of fog. She wanted to give him a response but she didn't have the strength to do it. All of sudden she felt a few finger take around her wrist gently.

"If you can hear me Aki, then try to move your hand," Leonardo asked calmly.

Aki tried to do as he asked her but her whole body was tired and drowsy and it was impossible to move a muscle. She felt exhausted after a few seconds and she let out a soft moan when she didn't have any result.

"Well, I can hear that there is a little life in you," he said and she got the feeling that he was smiling at her. "Can you open your eyes?"

"N…no," she stammered out.

It was true. Her eyes felt like they were permanently glued shut. She could hear Leonardo rose from the mattress and she wondered where he was going. She gasped as she felt the weight from his body when he sat down close to her on the bed. He took a firm grip around her waist and placed her head carefully on his leg.

"Now you have to lie still and don't fight me," he recommended.

His words were calm as he was talking to a child but it made her relax even though she couldn't see a thing. It was a good thing that she couldn't see the expression in his face. Leonardo's heart had been throbbing fast since he had laid her head on his leg and he couldn't understand why he had gotten so nervous after she woke up. Leonardo took a deep breath and looked at the small bottle in his hand. It contained pure water, which would remove the inflammation in her eyes. Leonardo placed his hand protectively behind her head and dropped the water into her eyes with the other. Aki yelled out with fright and started to move when she felt something strange hit her eyes.

"What on the earth was that?"

"Remember what I told you," Leonardo reminded her. "It will clear your eyes . Don't worry, it is just water."

Aki felt silly that she had been startled over the water and it didn't make it better that she had trouble lying still while he cleared her eyes. The water was disturbing for her and she wanted to remove it from her face. Leonardo had set the bottle on his nightstand when her eyes began to open slowly. Leonardo got troubled breathing and he felt his heart stop as she revealed her beautiful green emerald eyes. He had not forgotten them. They were almost mesmerizing and seemed to penetrate his soul.

"Welcome back, Aki," he said and helped her to get up in sitting position. "It is good to see that you have recovered."

Leonardo returned to his place on his bed and Aki looked at him with a faint smile. She noticed that he still held her hand but she didn't want to remove it. It was nice to feel his strength close to her. She had found it strange that she felt safe around him but she trusted him with her life. She glanced at the chair, which was standing next to the bed and raised her eyebrows in wonder.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"You've have been unconscious for three days," Leonardo told her.

Aki removed her gaze away from the chair and faced Leonardo with a questioning look. "Have you been with me for three days?"

Against his will, he blushed but she gave him a grateful smile in return. "It is nice to know that I have a friend to take care of me."

Leonardo felt his heart was knocking faster by every word she said and he turned his gaze away from her so she wouldn't see how happy he had become. He couldn't understand what the matter with him was. When he thought about it, she hadn't affected him much when they met each other for the first time in April's store. It was not until they had fought against Rex that he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind and the last three days had been awful because of the uncertainty about her health. He didn't know how he would have reacted if she hadn't made it and he didn't want to think about it either. He was simply happy that she had accepted his friendship. It was merely April and Casey who had let the turtles get involved in their lives.

"It was a poison which paralyzed your body. You would be dead now if we hadn't brought you down here," he continued.

Aki's eyes widened and she looked for the first time thoroughly around in the room where she was. She hadn't actually noticed it and it wasn't strange when she thought about it. The room reminded her of her childhood in her home in China though it looked more like the Japeneze style. It had a relaxing effect on her and it made her feel safe. Leonardo studied her face carefully. He couldn't explain why but he hoped secretly inside that she liked his room.

"This is indeed a beautiful room," Aki said sincerely and faced him again with a curious look in her face. "You said that I had been brought down. Where am I exactly?"

"You are in safety in our lair, which is hidden in the sewers below the city. It has been our home for sixteen years."

"Are you only sixteen?" Aki said wonderingly. "I thought that you were older."

"What gave you that impression?"

"You mustn't take this in the wrong way but you seem older than your brothers. You are more serious."

"Is that a bad thing?" Leonardo asked and felt a bit nervous to hear her response.

"No, it suits you," she smiled warmly. "It is incredible that you have been living in the sewers for sixteen years. Have you never been discovered?"

"Yes and no," he answered mysteriously and rose from the bed. "But I can tell you the story later. My family wanted to see you as soon as you regained your conscious."

Aki nodded silently and he gave her an optimistic smile before he walked out of the room. Aki stared thoughtfully down at her hands after Leonardo had left her. He had told her that she was in safety but it sounded too good for her to be true. It was dangerous that she was here. Rex could sense her aura and Aki was certain that her enemy knew where she was. Why hadn't she attacked the turtles' lair? Perhaps she didn't consider Aki as a threat anymore now where she had what she wanted.

However, the solution didn't make sense either. Rex had sworn to kill her when she discovered that Aki had survived her attack in China. Why hadn't she found her? Aki turned her head as she heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. A giant rat came into the room followed by Leonardo. Master Splinter rat smiled reassuringly at her and she returned his smile. She had accustomed to the sight of the old rat.

"How are you feeling my child?" Master Splinter asked kindly and sat down on the mattress. "You gave us a serious fright."

Aki looked stunned at him. It wasn't because of him. It was just that nobody had called her a child for a very long time. She was on the same age as Leonardo but she hadn't felt like a child for an eternity. She had lost her childhood when Rex had destroyed her home and her family along with her happy memories. Master Splinter noticed her reaction and sympathized with her. In her eyes, he could read the great burdens, which she was so despairingly trying to hide. Aki raised her gaze and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I'm tired and feel a bit weak," Aki told him honestly.

"It takes a long time before the poison has disappeared completely from your body," Master Splinter said and cast a sidelong glance to his eldest son who stood behind him. "Leonardo, please get some tea for the young woman. It will be good for her."

"Yes Sensei," Leonardo obeyed and left quickly the room.

"Your son is really wonderful," Aki said softly and clenched her hands together on the continental quilt while small tears began to roll down her cheeks. "He has been helpful and very friendly towards me and I don't deserve it. I threatened his life."

"You mustn't blame yourself anything that has happened in the past between you and my sons," Master Splinter said and looked thoroughly at her as he placed his hand gently on her own. "My sons have told me what happened that night and there is no one who will condemn you."

"But a better welcome next time would be nice," Raphael growled fretfully. "If you had told us the truth from the beginning then we wouldn't had gone through this mess."

Aki didn't contradict the turtle with the red bandana. She had blamed herself many times that she hadn't accepted their offer to help her. If she had done it, then a lot a things might have changed to the better and then she wouldn't have lost the… No, she couldn't bear to even think about it. Furthermore, she felt so ashamed about it that she despised herself.

"You're not the one who should throw stones," she remarked sourly and wiped off her tears. "If I remember correctly then it was you who attacked me first and not the other way around."

"That was because you were daring enough to…," Raphael started but trailed off when he received a reprimanding look from his father.

"Aki is our guest Raphael," Master Splinter pointed out. "And you have to treat her with respect."  
Raphael seemed liked he wanted to contradict his father on the subject but he didn't say anything. Aki was astonished that the fiery red-masked turtle didn't do anything at all. She had been convinced that he would have objected to the old rat but this was one of the rare occasions whereRaphael had learned in his life, that it was often wiser, to stay silent. Aki realized that he respected the rat and she began to wonder in her mind if he ever was going to respect her as much as he did with his father.

"Wow, who died in here?" Michelangelo asked and grinned when he noticed his elder brother. "Hi dudette, how is it going?"

Aki gave a little wry smile as a response to his question. She didn't even know all the names of the turtles yet but so far, they had given her a positive impression of themselves. The turtle with the orange bandana seemed extremely friendly and cheerful while the purple-masked turtle seemed more reserved. The turtle with the red bandana gave her the creeps with the hard look in his face and Aki turned her attention to the old rat.

"I would like to thank you and your family for coming to my rescue. If it hasn't been for you then I wouldn't have survived the attack. I can never pay you back for your great deed."

"Sure you can," Michelangelo said and smiled modestly. "We take any credit cards or checks."

Aki couldn't help but laugh a little over his quick repartee. He was definitely a person who had humour and it was easy for his good mood to rub off onto the others in the room. Aki was amazed that she already had accepted the turtles in her life but their great personalities made it hard to do the opposite. It was only the turtle red-masked with the dark green skin and the gloomy face, who gave her the shivers. He made her uncomfortable and she suspected that he didn't trust her.

Splinter noticed her shifty glance and looked at her with lenience in his eyes. The old rat could sense that it was Raphael, who was the reason, why she felt insecure. Splinter glanced at his son who had leaned his shell against the wall while he looked at Aki with an expressionless face. Splinter gave a silent shake of his head and faced the young woman again. She looked lost and he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"You have to forgive my youngest son," the old rat said with a twinkle in his eyes whereupon he looked at the smiling Michelangelo. "What he meant was that he was happy to help you."

"We all are," Donatello added with an assuring smile. "It is wonderful to see that you are fine."

"Why shouldn't she when she received her aid from the four most awesome green ninja turtles?" Michelangelo grinned and winked at her. "We're cool, right Aki?"

"Shut your mouth Mikey! You have no idea what you're talking about," Raphael burst out with an angry gaze.

Aki felt ill at ease but she couldn't decide if it was because of the turtle's raging reply or the dark look in his face. It was an unpleasant situation and she couldn't understand why he had become so upset by his brother. The turtle with the bandana crossed his arms and turned his attention towards her.

"First rule: ignore Mikey then your life gets better," Raphael remarked tartly. "Believe me I know what I'm talking about."

"What is the matter now Raph?" Michelangelo asked in wonder by his brother's fiery comments. "Why are you acting so pessimistic about it? You saved Aki from Rex. Why shouldn't we celebrate it?"

"I will celebrate it when Rex is defeated for good," Raphael hissed and looked agitatedly at his youngest brother. "We have merely saved are ourselves from being destroyed Mikey, and this is the only thing that we have been doing the whole week. Rex is still running out there in the streets and I have no intentions to celebrate anything before she is gone."

"I believe that you're trying to say that we have won the battle but not the war," Master Splinter said patiently.

"We haven't even done that!" Raphael exclaimed and looked furiously at his father. "We escaped from Rex but we barely got away alive. This is not to win a battle. We haven't won anything!"

"Calm down Raphael. I'm well aware of our situation but we're not discussing this subject at this moment. We need to talk about something else and afterwards we can discuss what we should do with Rex," Master Splinter said with a calm voice.

Raphael nodded in acknowledgement and looked down on the floor. It annoyed him that they hadn't been capable to beat her. Aki was about to say something to the old rat when Leonardo entered the room, carrying a tray of six steaming stoneware mugs. Splinter smiled warmly as he took the first mug and passed it on to the young woman.

"Drink, it will make you feel better," he said.

"Thanks."

Aki smiled gratefully and received the steaming mug, which was filled with a hot green tea. Its strong aroma was assaulting her nostrils but it actually felt good to draw in more of the scent. This was what she needed. Leonardo served his family before letting himself have the last mug, setting the tray aside on a nightstand whereupon he sat down on the floor next to Donatello.

Leonardo couldn't take his eyes from Aki when she lifted the mug to her lips, and drank deeply. Though she still looked pale, she was unbelievable beautiful. The room was silent for a while as they all enjoyed the power of this natural elixir. Leonardo shifted the piece of pottery around in his hands a bit but didn't remove his gaze from her. She got colour back in the cheeks and her green emerald eyes shined as she looked at the turtles and the rat that was either sitting or standing in a semicircle around her.

"This tea is delicious," she said and gave a wry smile. "It reminds me of one of the teas which we drank in China."

"It is also one of the famous ones," Splinter smiled and looked gently at her. "My Master Yoshi always made this tea because it clears the mind and brings peace to the body. I decided to be in keeping with tradition and pass it on to my own family."

"Who is Master Yoshi?" Aki asked curiously. "Was he also a big rat like you?"

A smile flickered across the old rat's face by her question. He recalled his memories from the past. As a pet living with his Master Yoshi, he had learned the secrets of the art of Ninjitsu. He had loved his Master Yoshi very much and he was devastated by grief the day where Shredder murdered Yoshi.

"He wasn't a big rat, but a great human with a good heart," Splinter explained and smiled in understanding. "I can see that you are getting confused, my child. Therefore, I think it would be wise if I tell you our story first. Afterwards we can hear your tale but you must promise me one thing before I begin. You must promise never to tell a living soul about our existence."

"I promise," Aki nodded seriously and placed her hand on her heart as a vow on her words. "I will never do it to any of you. I don't even know all your names and yet you have saved my life. I'm grateful for your help and I swear that I won't tell anyone about you."

"I believe you. My name is Splinter," the rat introduced himself. "This is my sons Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. We have been living down in the sewers for sixteen years."

Leonardo smiled to her when his name was mentioned, and Donatello and Michelangelo waved their hands happily at her while Raphael only gave a single nod with his head. Aki turned her gaze towards the rat.

"It is remarkable names," she said gently. "And I understood that you are their Sensei?"

"I am," Master Splinter nodded confirmingly. "Our story takes place a long time ago. It began when I were what you would call normal. I was small rat living as a pet with my Master Yoshi…"

Aki listened intensively to his story about their origin. She raised her eyebrows when he came to the part with the ooze and how it had transformed their bodies to grow into human size. He also explained why they had lived in the sewers since that day. Aki could perfectly understand why Splinter had taken that decision when he decided to take care of the small baby turtles. The human race wasn't kind to creatures that were different from them. She imagined how the scientists would make experiments with her new friends if they were discovered and she didn't like it.

As Splinter told her how he had found out the turtles' abilities to learn the ancient art of Ninjitsu, Aki suddenly realized why the turtles didn't call the him dad even though his had been their father for sixteen years. As their Sensei, it was necessary that there was some kind of distance and respect between the teacher and his students. However, she had to be blind if she hadn't noticed the love and the bonds of kinship in the small family.

"And this is story about our origin," Master Splinter finished.

"Wow, it is amazing," Aki said and gave them a questioning look. "Have you been living here for sixteen years without being discovered once?"

"We hide ourselves in the shadows from the human world," Master Splinter nodded as he looked mildly at Raphael. "But we haven't always succeeded with our task."

"Don't look at me, it wasn't my fault," Raphael growled. "I wasn't the only one who decided to bring April to the lair."

"She is one of our good friends," Leonardo explained. "She was the first human who saw us."

"And it is her flute which you stole when we met you in the store," Raphael said tartly.

"I'm really sorry," Aki apologized. "But she would have been in great danger if I hadn't taken it."

"And April knows that," Donatello said and smiled a little when she looked confusingly at him. "I told her what happened after we brought you down to the lair and she isn't mad at you. Frankly she told me that she was looking forward to see you when you were well again."

"I'm glad that she isn't angry at me. Leonardo said that she was one of your good friends. How many humans know about you?"

"There is only one more except from our enemies," Michelangelo said and laughed by the thought of Casey Jones. "Our friend Casey is crazier than Raph, but he is a great guy."

"Yes he is, but I believe that it is time for the young lady to tell her story now," Splinter said before Aki started to ask questions about their enemies. He didn't want to frighten her. She had problems of her own. "My sons have worried a lot about you since they met you almost a week ago."

"My story isn't an easy one to tell," Aki sighed and looked at them with sorrow in her eyes. "I have never told it to anyone before."

Leonardo clenched hands tight together and looked straight down at the floor. He fought desperately against his desire to get up and take her in his arms to comfort her. He wanted badly to hold her tight and remove all her fears and the angst, which she was feeling now. Unfortunately, he didn't have the courage to do it because he was afraid how she was going to react. Aki tried to hold her tears back, but it was almost impossible. She sniffled and felt a single tear trickled down her cheek as her memories of the past came back to her. A hand was placed consolingly at her shoulder and she looked up at Michelangelo who gave her a warm smile.

"Hey, why are you crying dudette?" he asked gently and wipe off her tear. "You're with friends now."

Leonardo felt like somebody just had stabbed his heart as he watched his brother comfort her and his cheeks flushed with rage. He immediately averted his gaze away from them andgave a silent shake of his head. What _had _gotten into him? He couldn't understand why he reacted this way but the urge to rip his younger brother away from her had been strong and it frightened him. It wasn't as Michelangelo shouldn't comfort her but Leonardo couldn't stop feeling that it should have been him instead of Michelangelo.

"You have been kind towards me," Aki sniffed. "And I don't deserve it. I treated you badly at our first meeting…"

"Yeah, quit the self-pity," Raphael interrupted and looked at her with a careless face. "I heard you saying that before and we're over it, okay? You don't have to worry about it anymore."

"Okay," Aki nodded and took a deep breath. "Then I won't mention it again. However, I don't know where I should begin with my story. So many things have happened in my life and…"

"You could start with the beginning," Michelangelo suggested when she didn't continue. "You know birth, home country and stuff like that."

"My name is Akira Nakanochi and I was born in Japan for sixteen years ago," Aki told them with a little smile.

"Not that you personal story isn't interesting or anything but can't you skip it and jump to the part with the flutes?" Raphael asked and received a stern look from Splinter. "What? It is the flutes which have giving us the troubles."

"Raphael, have patience and speak properly to Aki. This is the last time I'm telling you to respect her. She is our guest."

In frustration Raphael sighed and turned his gaze away from them. Michelangelo grinned cheerfully at his brother but his smile quickly disappeared from his face when Raphael's eyes flashed with anger. It was the time where Michelangelo was grateful that looks couldn't kill him. He turned his gaze towards Aki, who drank the rest of her tea.

"It is your choice: The story about your life or the story about the flutes?"

"Wouldn't it be the easiest choice to take the story with the flutes?" Donatello suggested softly. "They were the reason why we met each other in the first place."

"That was what I told you," Raphael said tartly.

"It doesn't matter. The two stories is connected to each other but I agree with you nonetheless," Aki nodded in acknowledgement and placed her mug on the nightstand. "When I met Leonardo he told me that you had found some information about the flutes. Many of your suspicions are correct but I'm afraid that you're wrong about one thing: I'm not one of The Five Elements."

"What?" Donatello exclaimed and looked confused at her. "I don't understand. You use the same magic as Rex does."

"Donatello, please be quiet and let her tell story," Master Splinter asked gently. "She can answer our questions afterwards."

"The flutes weren't created by The Five Elements," Aki told them seriously. "And they were found by accident. It is written in our legends about The Five Elements who originally were farmers in a simple village in China. They took care of the rice fields every day until it was time for the harvest. One morning one of them discovered some strange flutes when he was digging in the earth. He couldn't understand the weird symbols on the flutes but he recognized the animals from the Chinese zodiac signs. He considered the flutes as a big treasure and he showed them proudly to his friends. They were just as excided about the flutes as he was and they touched carefully the instruments. The legend says that after they had taken the flutes the heaven became dark as the night and the thunder and the lightning was fighting fiercely around the farmers. They hurried to their home faster than ever to escape from the storm. The next day everything was quiet and seemed dead. The five farmers looked at one another and knew that something had changed."

"Had they gotten their superpowers?" Michelangelo asked eagerly as he got more excided by her tale and he complete forgotten that Master Splinter had told his sons earlier that they had to wait with their questions until she had finished with her story.

"Not yet, but they were surprised to find out that they all of a sudden was able to read the weird symbols on the flutes. These symbols were a gift to the humankind. They could grant the power of the earth to the humans and their descendants, which were predestined to rule over the world. The five friends were curious about this great power and they tried the old ritual, which the symbols were describing. It succeeded and they became The Five Elements, as you know them. They got the power of the earth, fire, water, air and metal, which they would pass on to their children."

"So you have no idea whatsoever who made the flutes?" Donatello asked and Aki shook her head as an answer. "I'm disappointed. I read on the internet that it was this mysterious order which brought them to Asia."

"It is also the common interpretation even today but our own legends tells us something quite different," Aki revealed.

"It that the magic abilities of the flutes then?" Leonardo asked her, frowning. "Can they give humans magical powers?"

"Yeah and moreover they can take them away again," Aki confirmed.

"But Rex has magical powers already," Donatello pointed out. "Why is she looking after the flutes?"

"You're right that it isn't the reason why Rex wants the flutes. They have a special power, which is pictured by the Chinese zodiac signs. They can call the specific animal which you play the right melody."

"The tones of the tiger," Leonardo mumbled quietly and shivered as he thought about the story with the destruction of the Chinese village. "It is a good thing that she hasn't all the flutes yet."

Aki's cheeks colored up at his remark and Leonardo gave her a questioning look. "What is the matter Aki?"

"It is just that she does have them," Aki admitted shamefully.

"But hadn't you hidden them?" Leonardo asked confusingly.

"The store wasn't far away from my hiding spot. After I left you, I took them because I needed to find a safer place to hide them," Aki replied and couldn't bear to look him in the eyes. "I didn't want that Rex should get her nasty fingers on them so I quickly retrieved them to bring them to the other end of the city. The problem was that I still had the flutes in my possession when her men jumped me. I tried the best I could to defend myself and prevent these criminals to get the flutes but there were too many of them."

"So what you're saying is that the bitch now holds the perfect weapon to take over the entire world when she wants to?" Raphael asked annoyed and pointed his finger accusingly at her.

"Look, I'm terrible sorry…," Aki started but she was cut off before she got the time to explain herself.

"Sorry doesn't mean a damn shit!" Raphael snapped and raised his voice. "You have witch power for crying out loud. Why didn't you use them or was it on purpose that you let them get the flutes?"

Aki looked shocked at him with her mouth wide open. She was so astonished by his cruel remark that she was lost for words and couldn't figure out to answer him. Raphael ignored the blaming eyes from his family. Everyone in the room believed that he had gone too far this time. Leonardo was afraid how it would affect Aki's feelings. She was probably hurt or scared by his comment. Raphael had the effect that he often made people uncertain and frightened when he looked at them. Michelangelo and Donatello expected that she would ignore him and continued as if nothing had happened. It was the easy solution to the problem. She could also be forbearing towards him, which Master Splinter hoped that she would do.

Instead, she chose another reaction: she became furious with rage by his words. Raphael's eyes widened as he could see the fire burn in her emerald eyes. She felt an unknown strong power inside of her. She could feel the air around her body and she could suddenly feel the air move as she wanted to. Raphael felt it like strong arms were lifting his body from the ground until he touched the ceiling. Raphael made a wry face and grinded his teeth as he faced her.

"What in the hell are you doing woman?" Put me down!"

"How dare you to indicate that I let her men get the flutes? I'm disgusted that you even assumed that I would do anything like that. I know that you could care less about my feelings which really doesn't surprise me, you insensitive cold bastard! You don't know me!" Aki snarled angrily. "You have no idea what I have been going through the last couple of months so shut your mouth if you don't have anything good to say."

"I do what I see fit and you can't change that," Raphael hissed with his eyes glancing ferociously at her. "You better put me down at this second or I'm going to make you…"

"I won't continue if I were you," Aki warned but her voice was shaking a little as she faced him. "I do _not_ like that you're treating me like shit. I have been through the bottom of hell and I won't put up with your rudeness. As it is, I'm feeling guilty about my mistake with the lost of the flutes and I don't need you to make it worse for me."

Raphael cursed lowly and turned his gaze towards Splinter. "Can you say anything to her? I'm not intending to stay here forever."

"You have made your bed, now you must lie on it," Master Splinter said sternly with a reproachful expression in his face. "I told you two times that you should speak properly to our guest but you didn't listen to me. Perhaps this will teach you to show consideration for people's feelings and treat them with respect."

"I doubt it," Leonardo mumbled and Donatello smiled, as he was the only one who heard him.

"Bloody hell, you got to be kidding me! I'm not spending my time hanging at the damned ceiling all day!" Raphael shouted and tried to move his body. Unfortunately, it was an impossible task, as Aki had no intentions to let him go that easily. The magic power inside of her were strong and furthermore she was angry, which infused her powers even more.

"If you apologize to me, then I will let you come down," Aki said and added with a smirk. "But only if you ask nicely."

"You can't demand the impossible," Michelangelo whispered in her ear. "It is Raph who we're talking about."

"Nevertheless he had learned the word apology, right?"

"Nah, he never had the patience to look it up," Michelangelo chuckled with a wry smile.

"I don't care," Aki replied and gave the red-masked turtle a determined look. "You won't get down before you apologize."

"Then you're going to get old waiting," Raphael said hoarsely. "Because I'm never going to apologize to you."

He couldn't see why he should do it, especially when he knew that she couldn't keep him in the air forever. Raphael had learned a lot from his battle with Rex and Aki and he had realized that their magical powers were based on their concentration. He smiled in triumph as he noticed the dejection in her face. To her despair, she had come to the same conclusion as him and it frustrated her greatly. She could use her magical powers but they won't last forever, as she would get tired after some time. Eventually she had to let him go and Raphael merely had to wait until she got tired of holding him in the air.

"Shouldn't you tell your story?" asked Master Splinter and removed his gaze away from his son.

Raphael stared shocked and irritable at his family who didn't made a single movement to help him getting down from the ceiling. He hated the times where the whole group was against him. It was unfair and he got angrier by the fact that they hadn't even tried to see the things from his point of view. Raphael knew perfectly that he had been rude but he had his reasons. Raphael trusted only his family and though he also had been worried about her when she was attacked by the poison dart he didn't believe that it was reason enough to trust her completely. As Raphael had walked to Leonardo's room, he had considered the possibility that Aki could be tricking them all. It wasn't as if he really believed that she had made a conspiracy with Rex but Raphael wouldn't have forgiven himself if he hadn't tried to remove his last suspects about her. Why couldn't his family see that?

Splinter silently closed his eyes before giving a shake of his head. When Raphael had gotten to this stage of rage, he would refuse to listen to reason and therefore they couldn't explain their reasons why they won't help him. Splinter knew his son better than anyone in the small family did and he had realized that it was Raphael's suspicious nature, which had made him react wildly as he did. However, it wasn't an excuse to his bad behavior and that was the problem. Over the years, Splinter and his sons had gotten used to Raphael's bad language that definitely had gotten worse since he had become a teenager. Splinter hadn't accepted his way of speaking but his attempts to change Raphael's language had been in vain.

Therefore, he didn't normally mention anything if Raphael cursed but he had made one rule clearly to his son that he had to speak properly to their guests and treat other people with respect. If Raphael couldn't accept that then he was going to learn it the hard way. This was the main reason why Splinter wasn't going to stop the young woman though he doubted that it would help on his tempestuous son.

"Unless you apologize to this young woman I won't hear a word coming out of your mouth, Raphael," he stated firmly.

The red-banded turtle gazed at his father with his mouth wide open, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Raphael shook his head refusing to make a response to his father's words. He had no intentions to give in when he hadn't done anything wrong. Leonardo cast a sidelong glance at his brothers who nodded silently in the affirmative that their stubborn brother wasn't going to regret his words. Aki seemed unaffected of the hotheaded turtle but Leonardo wasn't sure if she had realized that he would never make an apology to her. Raphael wasn't exactly the guy who was ready to admit that he had made a mistake, especially if he was angry and well aware of the fact that she couldn't keep him in the air forever.

"I was just thinking…What animals were pictured on the flutes?" Michelangelo asked and tried to change the subject.

"The signs were with an ox, a tiger, a rabbit, a dragon, a snake, a horse, a sheep, a monkey, a rooster a pig and a dog," Donatello informed and felt relief by his brother's action.

"That's a lot of animals," Michelangelo commented and looked at them with a grin. "Well, at least most of them are harmless."

"But in huge herds it would be catastrophic," Master Splinter pointed out and turned his face to Aki. "Rex will be able to control all the animals, right?"

"Yes, the magic allures the animals to the person who plays the secret melody and they will hear her all over the world."

"It would mean total chaos and destruction," Donatello concluded gloomily.

Silence reigned in the room while they thought deeply concerned about the new information. It was horrible that Rex actually had become capable of calling and ruling over twelve different animals on the entire planet. Leonardo gazed worryingly at Donatello who kept staring straight at the floor with an empty look in his eyes. The consequences of Rex's future actions weren't hard to imagine and the sight wasn't pretty. They had been wondering why they hadn't heard from Rex for three days but it was likely because she was gathering her troops of animals to prepare an attack on the city and them. Leonardo rose from the floor and looked at Aki with worry shining in his eyes.

"Isn't there something we can do to stop her?"

"If we could get the flutes back, then I might be able to take her magic powers away from her by using the flutes and some special herbs," Aki answered after a few seconds. "But it is only a slight possibility considering that we don't have the flutes in our possession."

"You said to us that you weren't one of The Five Elements," Donatello reminded her and placed his hand thoughtfully at his chin. "How do you know the solution to the problem?"

"I said that I wasn't one of The Five Elements, yes," Aki agreed but a smile flickered across her face. "But I didn't say that I wasn't a member of the order. Back then I was the apprentice of the air but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish my education."

"What about the other elements?" Michelangelo asked in wonder. "What has happened to them?"

"They were all killed together with their apprentice by Rex," Aki told them and her voice shivered as she recalled her memories from the past. "I'm the only one who survived her attack in Beijing. She found the right time to make her move when we were meeting together at our headquarters."

"Why did she kill all those people? Had they also shown an interest in getting the flutes back?" Donatello asked curious. "The previous royal palace was attacked for fifteen years ago."

"That accident only occurred because her predecessor also had a great obsession about the powers of the magic flutes," Aki told them. "Our legends tell us that many years went after The Five Elements had been banished from China. Afterwards they told their children the truth about their secret powers. The farmers had learned from their mistakes and they demanded their children to make a promise. This was a promise, which they should pass on to make sure that our powers were used for goodness in life and not for destruction. This was the fundamental words for the order, which was hiding among the local civilisation of China. There were merely two persons, who knew the secret location of the flutes in the emperor's palace until they disappeared in 1911 and these were the leader of the order and the person's closest adviser. The leader had since the beginning been the element of water because the person was able to sense people's intentions, good or bad ones. The leader never gave this information to the others in the group because it was important not to wake another person's grief and urge to rule over humanity. Frankly, the leader was thrilled when she heard that the flutes were gone so she didn't have to worry about them. Sadly, that didn't last for long. We never found out how the element of fire discovered that the flutes had been kept in the royal palace but she attacked the place looking for answers about the flutes. At that time, my father was the element of the air and he went to the Chinese government to find out more about the flutes disappearence. They were willing to help him and arrange a meeting for him with a government officer who was a descendant of the emperor. His name was Shu Wan and he confided to my father that his family still was guardians of the flutes but that he didn't trusted my father enough to give him the flutes. My father understood his reasons but he explained to him that the flutes weren't safe in the country anymore. They had to separate the flutes so the element of fire wouldn't find them. It was too dangerous if they didn't do anything about it. Shu Wan decided to cooperate with my father and said to him that he would do it if they could find a man who they both trusted enough to get the flutes out of China."

"Was Shu Wan willing to take that risk with your father?" Leonardo asked astonished by her tale. "I don't believe that I could have done it. Why did he decide to trust your father?"

"There were two reasons. The first one was that he was scared to death by the violent attack, which the element of fire had done on the palace and secondly it was because my father found a noble and honest man who Shu Wan trusted enough to move the flutes to a safer place. I can't recall the name of the man but he should have been a great jonin in the art of Ninjitsu."

Master Splinter felt a lump in his throat as he remembered the days where two government officers had been visiting his master. Now he finally knew the reason why they had sought his master's help. Splinter took a deep breath to clear his mind and faced Aki with sadness in his eyes.

"This was Hamato Yoshi," Splinter said and bended his head. "But he was murdered."

"I'm sorry," Aki said sincerely. "I have heard that he was the most righteous and honourable man ever. After my father heard of his dead he convinced Shu Wan to dispose the flutes to New York immediately."

"I don't quite get it," Michelangelo said and gazed resignedly at her. "Does it mean that everybody in the order knew about this? If that is the case, then I'm lost."

"No, the element of water gave this mission to my father because he was the only who she could trust. When Rex attacked us at our headquarters, she tortured our leader until she got the information she wanted. After that, she killed her brutally. It was awful!"

"What about your father?" asked Donatello and looked concerned at her. "What happened to him?"

"My father?" Aki repeated and shook slightly her head. "He died when I was four years old and I was grateful for that when Rex began to kill everybody I knew. I will never forget it. The blood and the horrible screams are haunting my dreams every single night. I was the only person who survived and it was only because I was a pathetic coward who wouldn't accept my destiny. When Rex killed my family, I died inside. I had no feelings whatsoever. I couldn't even cry and my tears wouldn't come out. The sorrow was unbearable and I couldn't face it. I ran to the element of water…and…"

Aki's bottom lip began to shiver and she placed her hands over her face so they couldn't see the tears that finally broke down her self-control. This was tears of shame, regret and deep sadness from her very soul. She hadn't cried for her loved ones since Rex had murdered them but telling the story to friends that cared for her removed the tick wall around her heart. She was vulnerable as she revealed her feelings but Michelangelo placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly to assure her that everything was fine. They would listened to her and be there for her.

"She… she was covered in blood," Aki sniffed and the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. "I'm sorry…I can't…"

"Shh," Michelangelo said comfortingly, taking her in his arms as he stroke her hair softly. "It is okay. You're safe."

Leonardo felt badly as he saw her cry. It was tearing him apart to feel and see the pain in her eyes without being able to do anything. He couldn't remove her horrible memories but he knew that he would do anything to support and comfort her in every way he could. Leonardo walked to his bed and sat on the other side looking at her with a reassuring smile.

"We are here for you Aki. No one will hurt you."

Aki smiled a little when she heard his words. Everybody in the room was looking at her with deep sympathy and sadness, even Raphael who quickly turned his eyes away from her so she wouldn't see it. It didn't change nothing about the apology anyway but he had to admit that he know understood why she had reacted angrily as she had done.

"This was the reason why I decided to go after her to New York. I had nothing to loose," Aki sniffed with a shaking voice as she wipe off her tears. "My father was actually the reason why I got into this mess."

"Why is that?" Donatello asked to start the conversation again. He couldn't see why they had made her more unhappy than she was.

"The Five Elements pass on their magical power to one of their children," Aki explained once again but she seemed glad to talk about something else. "He was a member of the order when he met my mother. At that time, he was a police officer in Tokyo. It was love at first sight and they got me nearly a year after."

"Did your mother know that your father was a member of The Five Elements?" Leonardo asked.

"No, I don't believe that she would have met him in the first place, if she had been aware of it," Aki confided to him and heaved a sigh. "The Five Elements were feared in Japan as well as China though most of the population considers them as a myth."

"Does your father come from a family of ninjas. You know from some kind of a ninja clan?" Leonardo asked again and gave her a questioning look.

"Why do you believe that?"

"My son is thinking of your weapon which you used in the battle. It is an old ninja weapon also known as a Tessen," Master Splinter explained. "The women ninjas used this weapon a lot when they were spies between the noble families in Japan."

"I don't think that I'm descended of a ninja family or a ninja clan for that matter but on the other hand I have to admit that I can't deny it either. I got it from my mother for many years ago. I can't tell much about her because she left me in China when I was four years old to the order. When my father was dying, he told my mother the truth about himself. She didn't want to have anything to do with me after he died and she gave me to The Five Elements when she finally managed to find them. They took care of me and accepted me as the apprentice of the air as they could sense the magical aura around me. It indicated that I was chosen to be the next Element of Air and since my father was dead, it was important to them that I came to live among them. I would become one of The Five Elements when I understood my powers completely. As you can hear from my storytelling, I'm not stronger than Rex."

"But you know how to take her powers away from her?" Donatello asked

"Yes I do," Aki replied firmly. "But I need the flutes to do it."

"Which is a kind of a problem since the wicked witch has them," Michelangelo said and shivered by the thought.

"You mentioned that Rex could sense where you were if she was near you," Leonardo pointed out. "Couldn't you do the same with her?"

"Uh uh," Aki answered sadly. "I haven't learned it. All the Elements were capable of sensing magical auras from themselves and their apprentices, but as an apprentice I never got to learn how to do that."

"Damn," Leonardo muttered and gazed calmly at the others. "What are we going to do now?"

"I suggest that we watch a movie," Michelangelo said and shrugged his shoulders. "It seems like we can't do anything more right now."

"Yeah, you should," Aki encouraged. "And I should be going. I have already stayed here for too long."

"No, you mustn't go!" Leonardo exclaimed in panic before he could stop himself. He noticed that everyone looked shocked at him and he lowered his voice to continue. "Oh, I mean… It wouldn't be safe to leave the lair. It is not safe for you out there."

"And it is not safe for you that I'm in here," Aki pointed out, looking seriously at them. "Rex probably knows that I'm here and she won't hesitate to try come looking for me."

"Yeah, wish her good luck then," Donatello remarked with a wry smile.

"What do you mean?" Aki asked confused.

"My dear lady, let me introduce you to the genius above the genius, the turtle who is wiser than all the science freaks counted together Donatello," Michelangelo cheered loudly as he walked over to his brother, patting him on his shell. "Go tell her Donny."

"Oh, please stop it Mikey," Donatello pleaded but it was obvious that he enjoyed his brother's praise. "I'm not that good."

"You're not only good. You're absolutely fantastic," Michelangelo continued and smiled at Aki. "Believe me dudette, no one would ever find our lair even if they were standing at the front door."

"He is right Aki," Leonardo assured her.

"It is dangerous to have me here," Aki whispered so he was the only one who could hear her.

"Hey," Leonardo said gently and placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "We will protect you from harm. Please stay. Michelangelo has a point. The only thing we can do is to be prepared and wait for something to happen."

"You hate that, don't you?" she asked with little smile.

"More than you can imagine," he admitted. "And you said yourself that you weren't able to find her."

"But…"

"You're welcome to stay in our home as long as you wish," Master Splinter offered, standing with his hands resting on the top of his cane. "I would strongly advice you to get some rest and gather your strength to the next battle with Rex not to mention that it would comfort an old rat's heart if he had a brave woman to look after my sons."

The old rat smiled to her and left the room. Aki looked down at her hands and felt many emotions running through her. She wanted to stay with her new mutant friends but a little voice inside her warned her of danger if she did it. She didn't want the turtles to get hurt because of her. Leonardo took her hand and gazing nervously at her.

"So what is your decision?"

"I would love to stay," Aki replied finally much to his relief.

"This is great," Donatello exclaimed excided to have a new guest in the lair. "There is so many things that we can show you. I have some of my inventions…"

"It can wait Donny," Michelangelo interrupted quickly and grinned. "What about seeing a good movie, huh?"

"It would be nice to see something for fun," Aki said with a faint smile. "I haven't watched a movie in months, but could I take a bath first?"

"Yeah, sure you can. I can bring you some clean towels and call April to hear if she has some spare clothes you can borrow," Leonardo answered gladly and helped her to get up from the bed.

"While you do that, I will find a movie and make us some popcorn," Michelangelo said.

"It sounds great," Aki said gratefully.

Then they left the room except from Raphael who was still hanging in the ceiling. Aki hadn't released him from her spell, which prevented him from making a single movement with his body. He glanced angrily at his brother's shells as he suspected that it was maybe going to take a little more time than he had expected.

"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" he yelled furiously but no one was paying attention to him.

A/N: So, what is the verdict? Please review; I really appreciate your opinions. I just hope that I haven't confused anyone with this chapter. I'm aware that there is a lot going on in my story and I was trying to tell the background of the flutes and The Five Elements as best as I could. The next chapter is going to be there on Friday almost two weeks from now and it is actually a new added chapter, which isn't originally a part of my Danish story. As I'm translating this story, I find new details and scenes to write down. See you soon!


	11. Splinter´s warning

A/N: I posted this chapter one day earlier because I'm going to be busy tomorrow. Anyway, this was a new experience for me to write this chapter. So far, I have been translating from my Danish story but this chapter is a new one, which I felt, was missing in the original story. I want to thank anyone who reads the story and to those who took the time to add a review I just want to say that I really appreciated them. These people are **coldsunshin** **and Ramica**, who I probably was giving a hard time with all my errors in the last chapter. Well, back to the story. I'm just hoping that I don't have too many errors this time :o)

"What about I'll give you a quick tour in the lair, before I show you where the bathroom is?" Leonardo asked Aki gently and turned around to face her.

"I think that is a good idea Leo. I could call April in the meantime and ask her to bring some clothes for Aki," Donatello added quickly and pointed at her black outfit which she had be wearing for three days at least. "It would be nicer for you if you could get some clean clothes and get your own washed."

"I couldn't agree more," Aki nodded approvingly and smiled at the purple-masked turtle. "Thanks Donatello."

"Just call me Don or Donny, everybody does," Donatello said and brought his shell cell out from his belt.

"Yeah, except for Master Splinter," Michelangelo remarked and chuckled a bit, looking at Aki. "He says our nicknames as often as we call him dad. Right now, I'm going to watch some TV until you're finished with your bath Aki. No rush with the shower."

"By the way is there anything that we need to get from your place?" Donatello asked her when Michelangelo had left them. "If you want, we can go topside when it is dark and bring your stuff down here."

"Yes, it wouldn't be a problem," Leonardo added helpfully.

"No, it isn't necessary guys," Aki assured them quickly and added with a sad smile. "I didn't have so many things because I was on the run from Rex."

Donatello gave a single nod to her before he dialled April's number on his shell cell. "Hi April, it's Donny. How is it going?"

Aki turned her back at him and looked at Leonardo with a curious gaze. "You said something about showing me the lair?"

"Well, come with me then," Leonardo said offering and took her hand. "I'm going to show the upper floor space first."

Leonardo was happy as she walked by his side when he began to show their different bedrooms, starting with Donatello's. He was quite enjoying walking by her side, talking with her. However, he couldn't quite figure out why he still felt a bit uncertain when he was close to her. He had always been the confident and fearless type, which had made his brothers calling him the nickname "The fearless leader", but he found himself sometimes nervous in her presence. Yet at the same time, he didn't want to leave her either. He found it disturbing and confusing at the same time! Aki laughed as they came to Michelangelo's room.

"What a mess!" she exclaimed with a grin. "I can see that he likes to be in his room and play."

"Nah, he doesn't do it as often as he used to. These last days have actually been very silent for him, but that's mostly because he was unable to move with the dark bruises on his shell," Leonardo told her and pointed his finger at the bowling alley. "Sometimes at night when he can't sleep, he'll be bowling to get tired. Trust me; it can get very loudto those who are desperately trying to get some sleep."

"Good thing I got your room which is next to his then," Aki said dryly and Leonardo laughed at her remark.

Aki raised one of her eyebrows in surprise when she heard the laughter coming from him. It was different to hear him laugh but it felt good inside of her to hear and see the big smile on his face. Aki suspected that laughing wasn't something he did quite often, as he seemed more like the serious kind of guy. Leonardo gave a slightly shake of his head before he turned his back to the room.

"Don't worry. He wouldn't dare to tease you the next couple of weeks after the trick you made with Raph," Leonardo confided her honestly and showed her out of the room. "But afterwards, who know? Mike loves to play jokes on people and you never know when he has his eyes on you."

"It is truly a big place you have," Aki said admiringly as she got a complete view over the lair, which was built in a circle in two floors. "And you have a lake inside your home. Cool!"

Leonardo enjoyed staring at her fascinating expression, as she looked closer at the little lake in the middle of the main room. Her face brightened when she noticed the small bridge above the water and she turned to look at him with eyes, which were shining with pure joy.

"This place is fabulous. Have you made it yourself?"

"No, we found it almost a year ago," Leonardo told her, pointing at the decorations on the pillars. "We discovered that it was an ancient people who once built this place and used it to live down here."

Aki studied the strange symbols with curious eyes. "They are quite unique in their structure. How do we get down from here?"

"This way," Leonardo answered and showed her the stairs. "This is the main floor that contains the facilities which we're all sharing. The living room is the one with the big screen TV's. You can't miss it."

"I can see what you mean," Aki smiled and her gaze turned to the other side of the big area. "Is that a real subway train?"

"Yeah, it was here, when we found the place and Donny uses it as his workshop and laboratory for his inventions and stuff," Leonardo explained and turned in direction to the door on the left. "There is Master Splinter's room where he meditates sometimes and on the opposite side of the big area we have the dojo."

"This is here that you train Ninjitsu?"

"Mostly but we also use this big area when Master Splinter believe it is necessary," Leonardo replied and followed her to the kitchen area. "Mikey is the cook in the family and he is good at it too."

"And he makes dinner for you every day?"

"And breakfast and lunch. He likes it," Leonardo said and gave a wry smile before he stopped at the final location. "This is the bathroom. If you'll wait a minute I'll bring you some towels."

"There no need for it Leo, I have them," Donatello said behind them with brown towels in his arms, turning his gaze towards Aki. "April said that she would be here in a couple of minutes with some clothes for you."

Aki gave a single nod of her head, looking at him with appreciation. "Thanks. It was nice of you to call her."

"No problem," Donatello said unassumingly and handed the towels over to her. "As Mike said, just take your time and enjoy your bath."

"Your brothers are sweet," Aki remarked gentle when Donatello left them. "I haven't had friends like you in a long time."

Leonardo looked at her with a mysterious glint in his eyes and Aki froze on the spot. For at short moment she believed that she saw great sadness and disappointment in his face as if she somehow had hurt him with her words but then it was gone and she immediately rejected the thought considering that it might be her mind, which was playing foolish tricks on her. Leonardo noticed the worrying look in her face and coughed slightly before the silence between them became awkward.

"I'll leave you now Aki," Leo said with a confident firm voice as he gave a small bow of his head. "See you soon."

Aki nodded and smiled slightly as a response whereupon she opened the door to the bathroom. She sighed heavily when she entered the room, closing the door behind her. This was exactly what she needed: a nice hot shower. Aki placed the towels in the sink and looked at the tub. Oh, it was just wonderful! The bathroom facility was a simple arrangement, but for Aki it was a luxury to be there.

Aki stroke her hand slowly on the edge of the tub, feeling better than ever as she turned the knobs on the faucet, which were controlling the hot and cold water. She smiled a little as she was putting a hand under the running water to test its' temperature. She adjusted the knobs accordingly until she was satisfied and twisted the control to the shower, which came down in a steady spray. Aki removed within seconds the dirty clothes from her body with her gaze staring straight at the clean water.

She had really looked forward to this moment and she moaned with contentment as she stepped into the tub and drew close the green shower curtain. It was made from an old sheet and was hanging by iron wire hooks on a pipe in the wall. She stood directly under the warm water, which was cascading over her tired body. Ah, it couldn't get any better than this.

Leonardo was still standing outside the bathroom, recalling his strange behaviour from earlier. He was thinking of his emotions, which were confusing his mind. What had been the matter with him when she had said her words to him and why wasn't he able to control his feelings anymore? Leonardo closed his eyes tightly in anger and shook wildly his head in frustration over his reaction before she went into the bathroom. He hated that he hadn't been able to hide his feelings from her. Indeed, he had become very upset by her remark and it had taken all his mental strength to sound confidently enough to convince her that his reaction was something that she only had imagined in her mind. In his situation, as he was leaning his shell against one of the pillars, he wasn't sure though if he had succeeded with his task or not.

He couldn't understand what was happening to him, and he didn't know how to put an end to those feelings either. He wanted to be in control of his thoughts rather than to be loosing his mind and show his weakness in front of her. Leonardo liked to spend his time with her and getting to know her better but he had realized by now that though he wanted to be with her, he also felt insecure and nervous around her simply because he was afraid of how he was going react when he was near her. Leonardo sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. His head was throbbing with a headache at full force and his worries only made it worse.

It wasn't like him at all to behave as a crazy person and feeling scared! Leonardo had only experienced fear when he was a little child where he had been afraid of heights. Leonardo wasn't the turtle who would let his fear control his mind. He wouldn't and yet he felt worried if not scared as he thought of Aki because she had affected him as badly as she had done. His stomach also reminded him of the fact he had not eaten all day. He realized he had been so caught up in taking care of Aki's health that he had neglected to fulfil his own needs. Leonardo didn't know what to do and sat down resignedly at the floor with his arms around his knees. He didn't realize he had started trembling until a steady hand lay softly on his shoulder to calm him.

"You are troubled, Leonardo?" a comforting voice filled with the knowledge of its owner asked him kindly.

Leonardo raised his head in surprise and looked at his father who was kneeling at his side. Splinter had come out of his room, noticing his eldest son collapsing on the floor with a great despair in his eyes. Master Splinter believed that he knew the cause of this pain his son was feeling and the old rat had finally decided that it was time to get his son to talk with him and heal his distressed spirit. He stood there kneeling, while he waited patiently until Leonardo would speak his mind to him.

"Yes Sensei," Leonardo finally managed to answer him.

"About Aki?" this was more of a statement than a question.

Leonardo averted his gaze away from him as he lowered his head to look intensively at the floor, avoiding his father's worrying stare. He was trapped. He couldn't lie to Splinter who he held in high respect as his father and his Sensei, but he couldn't confess his true emotions either.

He was aware of the fact that it was Splinter and not any of his brothers where was standing in front of him, so he wasn't able to ignore him completely, avoiding the subject. His father wouldn't give up that easily. Therefore, Leonardo continued to remain quiet, staring at the ground while he could hear Michelangelo singing a happy song as he walked in the kitchen to make popcorn for the movie.

"Leonardo," Splinter started to say, but he could see in his son's eyes that he didn't want to confide his emotions to him.

Master Splinter patted his shoulder lightly and stood up from the floor as he gave Leonardo a firmly and yet gently look and continued. "I wish that you join me in my room at once. We need to have a little talk, you and I."

"Yes Master Splinter," Leonardo replied obeying, well aware that he couldn't refuse his father when he had the stern look in his face.

Splinter waited patiently with greatly concern as his son got up from the floor. It was clear to him that Leonardo was feeling exhausted emotionally because of the young woman and he had to take action now before it was too late. Splinter strode with a determined stride through the big area, heading for his room. He wouldn't let anything hurt his son but he knew that it was impossible not doing so himself. He had to prevent the disaster from happening because he was worried that his son would be hurt even more if he didn't.

The old rat cast his mind back at the conversation in the morning, where Michelangelo had suggested that Leonardo was starting to have feelings for the young woman. Splinter had watched his eldest son closely as Aki had told her story about the flutes and he had to admit that his youngest son might not be far from the truth regarding his serious brother. Splinter passed the doorway to his room and gave a mild shake of his head as he seized the box of matches on the small Japanese table.

Pulling out a match, he struck it against the side, and the wooden stick ignited revealing a dancing flame. Carefully, he held the flame to each of the candles' wicks on his shelves and the small table, and lit them. Master Splinter liked the candles because they brought peace to his mind and made him relax. When all the candles were lit, he went to the incense sticks before he disposed the match and faced his son who was standing in the doorway, waiting for his permission to come inside.

"Please sit down, my son," Master Splinter said and pointed down at the blue cushion, which was placed in front of the Japanese table.

Leonardo stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Master Splinter's room was actually small compared to the others with a simple furnishing. In the room was an antique bookshelf on the left where his Sensei kept his books and scrolls and on the right, there was a table. In the middle of the room was the Japanese table with blue cushions on both sides, which Splinter used when he needed to talk with his sons. His bed was in the back of the room hidden in the dark shadows. Leonardo sat slowly down in lotus position, awaiting his father to begin the conversation.

"Leonardo, this isn't easy for me, but you must listen to me carefully now with your ears open," Master Splinter began, looking at him with a serious look in his face. "In our clan I decided a long time ago that you should become Chunin, the leader of your brothers. This title comes with a great responsibility, honour and self-sacrifice. As your Jonin I need to speak with you now."

Leonardo's eyes widened a bit in wonder as he heard his father's remark. When Splinter decided to speak with him as Jonin, it meant that he wasn't going to talk with him on a personal level. It concerned him a little because Splinter only did it when something serious was threatening their family. Leonardo looked down at his hands resting in his lap before he found the courage to look into his father's eyes.

"Is something wrong Sensei?"

"I was about to ask you the same question Leonardo," Splinter remarked with a sadly look in his face. "Your brothers and I have been wondering what has been happening with you the past few days. You have seemed kind of distracted since you took care of the young woman."

"Her life was in danger and I was worried about her," Leonardo mumbled lowly mainly because he knew that his master wasn't going to accept this excuse for an answer. "I was afraid that she was going to die."

"Why?" Master Splinter asked and sat down opposite to him. "I told you many times that she was going to make it once she had the antidote."

"It was hard to believe when she wouldn't wake up," Leonardo contradicted sharply and quickly regretted his outburst.

"Did you doubt my words, Leonardo?" Master Splinter asked slowly as he son lowered his head in shame.

"No," he said finally after a moment of silence, but he quickly trailed off, as he didn't know how to explain his behaviour. It was hard, when he didn't know exactly by himself what was going on with him.

"Leonardo?"

Leonardo lifted his brown eyes to meet Master Splinter's kind black ones, which were looking at him with patience and concern. Leonardo felt, as he was a child again, seeking his father for comfort after having a bad dream.

"I... I don't understand, Sensei," he said at last, quietly, "How can I have such feelings for someone who I don't know that well? And yet, there is something about her that is going right through my soul."

Splinter was glad that his son finally had decided to confide himself to him but it troubled him greatly that Leonardo's feelings for the young woman seemed to have grown to a size which none of them had expected. Splinter let his son continue to speak his worries but he quickly realized that he was going to hurt his son's feelings no matter how hard he was trying to do the opposite.

"These emotions I have are so strange," Leonardo tried to explain to his father, "I've tried to comprehend them, but they leave me confused. I don't know why but she has affected a great part of me."

"This is because you have never felt those emotions before," Splinter said after his son had finished his sentence. "Unknown feelings are very confusing for a mind who hasn't experienced them before. However, I must admit that I never thought this day would appear in our family."

"What do you mean Sensei?" Leonardo asked confusingly.

"I don't have to explain it to you because you'll understand it when you realize what I'm talking about. Can you describe your feelings for the young woman?" Splinter asked gently and stepped closer towards his son. "Because I believe that you know deep inside your heart why you're feeling these emotions for her."

"Can't you see that it is exactly the problem Sensei? I can't do that!" Leonardo protested frustrated and gave a short shake of his head. "I'm unable to describe them or understand them. I just know that things have changed inside of me since we brought Aki to the lair. Why I don't know. When she was unconscious the only thing I cared about was being with her and…."

"Why?" Master Splinter interrupted quickly, before Leonardo continued and placed his hand on his son's arm. "Why was itimportant to be with her?"

"I wanted to get to know her and…" Leonardo sighed so deeply then it almost sounded like a sob, bowing his head in despair. "I couldn't stop this strong desire to watch her beautiful glowing emerald eyes again."

"And what does this mean my son?"

Splinter knew that it was difficult for his son to answer his questions but Leonardo had to figure out the truth himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't believe the facts. Splinter could sense that the mental walls his son had built to protect himself had crumbled slowly as they had talked in his room. Leonardo lifted his gaze and looked into the father's warm eyes of wisdom.

His father knew what had changed inside of ham and suddenly he knew it too. How could he have been so blind when the answer had been in front of him? Leonardo was slowly starting to feel better now as he was finally releasing this pressing weight in his heart but he couldn't help despising himself. Leonardo was glad that his brothers couldn't see him now though he suspected that they knew the truth all along. With his head bowed in shame of his emotions, a single tear trickled down his cheek.

"I'm falling in love with her," he stated simply.

"Indeed you are my son," Master Splinter said softly as he got down on his knees. "This is why you're feeling these strange emotions as you call them. Don't blame yourself because of your feelings Leonardo. Love is a hard thing to understand for anyone, even for the humans."

"But how is it possible?" Leonardo asked sadly and sniffled as he wiped off his tear. "It doesn't make any sense. She is a human and I…"

"No, It doesn't make sense," Master Splinter replied confirmingly. "But it wasn't unlikely either that it could happen."

"Why did you want to speak with me as Jonin, Master Splinter?" Leonardo managed to ask his father after a few seconds of silence between them.

"Because I need to speak with you as the head of the clan and not as your father," Master Splinter admitted honestly and the serious expression returned to his face. "And it is difficult for me because I know that I'm going to hurt you in the matter. Leonardo, a union between you and Aki can never happen."

"What?"

"You must never tell her what you're feeling for her either. You'll put our clan in great danger if you do," Master Splinter warned with a firm voice. "I won't allow it my son. As Chunin, it is your greatest responsibility to protect the clan and honour your family. You know this."

Leonardo felt his heart stop as he realized what his Sensei was trying to say to him. His father had warned him that he was going to get hurt but he had never thought that it would be so painful. Leonardo stopped his breath, his chest tightening. How could he be near her without showing his emotions for her?

"I want you to think with your head and not with your heart," Master Splinter demanded mildly as he grabbed Leonardo's hands. He stroked them gently with his paws to tell his son that he sympathized with him. "There are many important reasons why it is impossible for you to have a relationship. Do you understand me?"

"You don't have to explain it to me," Leonardo answered quietly, almost unable to speak. "I already know."

Splinter nodded shortly, as he believed his son. Leonardo knew perfectly that a human and a turtle never could be together as a couple though he had never discussed the subject with Splinter before. Leonardo had seen a little more of the love between a man and a woman for a few months ago. He had trained in the evening with his brothers when they had seen a young man walking with his girlfriend, kissing her softly on her mouth and her cheek.

It wasn't a surprise for them because they had seen a lot of TV and read books about this mysterious phenomenon, but Leonardo discovered that night that love for a woman was a gift to the humans and not to him or his brothers. Neither had one of them believed that they could feel the love for a woman. Sometimes it felt lonely being alone without a mate but Leonardo and his brothers had decided a long time ago that it was something they had to accept. It was impossible to love a woman when they didn't allowed strangers to come near them because of the risk of being seen.

April had been the only woman who they had known in their life. They loved her deeply as brothers loved their sister. She was a dear friend and was considered as family to them. As he thought of Aki, Leonardo was shocked that he had done something that he had tried to prevent from happening the past few months. He had been aware that his heart would suffer greatly as a result if he fell in love with a woman one day and he felt ashamed that he had let his emotions control his actions.

"She isn't in love with me and it isn't going to happen either," Leonardo said and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm only hurting myself believing otherwise."

"Even though she did love you, it would complicate things," Master Splinter nodded and stood up, supported by his cane. "I'm sorry my son but I had to warn you, before it was too late."

Leonardo was still sitting in lotus position with his eyes fixated to the ground. A little voice inside him told him that his father was right. Leonardo knew exactly what would be the rightful decision if he followed his head and not his heart. For her sake as well of his own, he had to gain control of his emotions. He had to stay strong and never show her what he felt for her.

"As Chunin for this clan I will follow your orders Sensei," Leonardo promised him with his normal confident and firm voice and bowed his head respectfully to his master. "Now that I knows what is going on with me I can prevent this before it goes out of hand. Aki will not know my true feelings about her. I'm sorry that I have worried you and my brothers with my behaviour. It won't happen again."

"I'm glad to hear it my son," Master Splinter smiled with relief. "Aki is a creature of the light and can't stay here forever."

"She doesn't deserve it," Leonardo said and got up from the floor with a sad expression in his face. "She had been through a lot of bad things in her life. How could I ever ask her to be with me? Our lives remain in the shadows while we battle with our enemies. It isn't a life for her."

"Remember your words clearly because it won't be easy for you. Love is very complicated and it takes a strong heart to fight against its' mighty power," Splinter warned him seriously.

"Hai Sensei," Leonardo said and left the room.

As Leonardo entered the big area, he felt worse than ever and he wished for a moment that he could reverse the time and stop himself before his feelings for Aki had changed, then it wouldn't have hurt so much as it did now. Leonardo couldn't yet understand why he had been blind as a bat regarding his love for Aki. Apparently, it had been obvious to the rest of his family.

As the thought was running through his head, he stopped thunder-struck. Did she already know about his feelings for her? Leonardo rejected the thought after a moment as he remembered the worrying look in her face when she noticed his disappointment. Leonardo realized that he had been disappointed, because he wanted to be more than just her friend. Sadly, this was only a beautiful dream that wouldn't come true. Leonardo noticed April was standing behind the sofa in the living room chatting with Michelangelo who was looking through his collection of DVD's.

"Hi Leo, you want to join me?" Michelangelo remarked with a grin as he heard the sound of his footsteps. "I have made popcorns."

"Sure," Leonardo replied and turned to April with an appreciating look. "It was nice of you to loan Aki some of your clothes."

"Don't mention it," April said with a little smile. "After Donatello told me what had occurred I was glad to help her out. I got a little sight of her too, when I gave her the clothes in the bathroom. She seems like a nice girl."

"She is," Leonardo nodded.

"She was also apologizing to me for taking my flute when I gave her the clothes," April continued. "It was nice to hear."

"April is coming with Casey tomorrow to meet Aki at dinner," Michelangelo added with a wry smile. "I thought it would nice for them to get to know her better since April has to leave us again right away."

"You're not staying?" Leonardo asked gently.

"No, I have to get ready for a date," April replied with a mysterious smile on her face and looked at her watch. "This reminds me that I'll better be going. I need to buy a few things today."

"Okay, have a nice date then," Leonardo said and April waved goodbye before she left the lair. "Do you know who the lucky guy is Mike?"

"I'm guessing Casey," Michelangelo admitted and opened one of his DVD's. "When I was asking her about the secret date of hers, she blushed when I mentioned his name. In addition speaking of dating, what is the relationship between you and Aki?"

"Nothing," Leonardo responded quietly. "We're friends."

"But...," Michelangelo started to protest but stopped when he saw the look in his brother's eyes.

Leonardo didn't want to discuss his feelings with his brother at the moment, especially not when he had decided to hide his emotions completely from the rest of his family. Leonardo could hear Aki coming out of the bathroom and breathed slowly before he found the courage to face her with showing any emotions. She looked absolute wonderful and yet different because he wasn't used to see her in blue jeans and a white t-shirt with the words: "I love New York."

Aki was feeling refreshed physically as emotionally when she had come out of the bathroom with the clean clothes, which April had given her, on her body. From the beginning, she had liked the red-haired woman who had been very kind to her considering that Aki actually had robbed her store. April had also told her that Aki was going to meet her again tomorrow at dinner together with Casey Jones.

Aki was walking towards the big area when she noticed Leonardo was standing near Michelangelo in the living room. She was happy to see him and walked closer to talk with him. Suddenly the big smile on her lips faded quickly as she noticed his brown eyes gazing at her with an almost emotionless expression. His face seemed hard as stone and he wasn't smiling as he normally did when he saw her. She couldn't explain why but she had a worrying feeling that something bad had happened with Leonardo while she had taken her shower in the bathroom. As Aki stepped closer into the living room, she was certain that something had definitely changed about him and somehow she didn't like it. No, she didn't like it at all.

A/N: So what did you think of the chapter? A bit of a sad chapter really… Leo has finally realized what he is feeling for Aki. Please feel welcome to add a review. I appreciate your opinions! The next chapter will be there in about two weeks.


	12. Friendship

A/N: Well, I'm back with the new chapter as I promised you. I'm not going to say much. I just want to thank to everybody who reads the story, and those persons, who was kind to add a review are **Ladykatana45 and coldsun**. It was nice to read and it means a great deal to me.

Oh, I'll better go back to the story. Enjoy…

When she didn't think about Leonardo's change in behaviour, Aki absolutely enjoyed watching the movie, which Michelangelo had chosen for them. He had warned them that he hadn't seen it before because it was a movie, which he had borrowed from Casey but he had recommended it a lot. Aki had already forgotten the title of the movie but it was an exciting science fiction about a robot, which came back from the future to warn the humanity about an enormous danger that was coming to them in their present. Donatello sat on the edge of the armchair with big eyes staring at the TV. He had been sitting with one of his strange inventions, which he had been repairing during the movie, but as the time went by his movements had stopped as they came to the most thrilling part of the movie.

Michelangelo had placed himself on the floor in front of the TV screens, while he was holding a large empty bowl in his hands. Aki had never seen popcorns vanish so quickly into anyone's mouth, especially during the fighting scenes. Leonardo was sitting in the sofa with Aki but he had seemed distant the whole time. Aki couldn't describe what had occurred with him since she had come back from the bathroom. The worst part was that she didn't have the courage to ask him what troubled him. Leonardo seemed distracted, and Aki wondered what the reasons might be for his mood change. It was as if he could sense her worries because he glanced at her, giving her a little smile before he turned his attention back to the movie.

It was a great movie, but Aki suddenly found it too hard to keep her focus. She was beginning to get tired, no wonder when she had cried and shared her life story with her new friends. She was getting dizzy again and her shoulders were tensed. It wasn't getting better that she was concentrating on keeping Raphael hanging in the air near the ceiling at Leonardo's room. It was harder, when she wasn't in the same room as him. Aki recalled that she had talked with Leonardo about taking his room after they had left Raphael behind. She had tried to explain to him that she felt bad about removing him from his room. She remembered clearly the warmth in his eyes when he had insisted that she should take his room as long as she was their guest. Where had the warmth in his eyes gone after she had left him? Leonardo looked at her with a concerned and yet cold expression in his face.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"A bit," she admitted reluctantly and felt suddenly disappointed that he didn't take her hand as he used to when he was trying to comfort her. "Your brother is heavier than I had expected."

"You can use my arm as a pillow if you want," Leonardo offered, but he didn't look her in the eyes anymore.

Aki accepted gladly his offer and leaned herself against his arm. She startled as she felt his cold hard reptile skin. She had touched his skin before on his hand but it was still different to stroke his scaled arm. However, she wasn't repelled to touch his arm. On the contrary, she was fascinated and was thrilled of excitement as she rested her hand on his shoulder. Leonardo on the other hand was unable to keep his eyes to the movie. What had he done? He immediately knew that he had made a fatal mistake as he felt the butterflies flying around in his stomach when he saw the happiness in her face.

_Love is very complicated and it takes a strong heart to fight against its' mighty power_, his master's voice sounded warningly in his head. Leonardo sighed resignedly and placed his arm around her, pulling her closer. He knew that he was going to regret it and despise himself afterwards but right now, he couldn't resist her and didn't want to either. Aki gasped in shock as the monster jumped out of the closet, attacking the hero. She gazed darkly at Leonardo who chuckled lowly at her reaction.

"I hate when they do that," she explained the obvious almost whispering as she didn't intended to interrupt the other's enjoyment of the movie. "I know that they are going to jump out but they scare me nevertheless."

"Some movies use this effect often," Leonardo nodded in acknowledgement. "It is their whole purpose to scare the hell out of you."

"But you don't seem scared," Aki remarked and gave him a questioning look. "Movies don't scare you?"

"No, movies aren't reality and therefore there aren't any reasons to be afraid of them," Leonardo responded and gazed at the TV again. "Perhaps Michelangelo should have chosen a comedy instead. This isn't fun for you after all the things you have been through."

"No, I'm fine," Aki assured him and squeezed his arm lightly. "By the way this is nice. I haven't tried to see a movie for an eternity, so I'm enjoying every second of it."

"ARRGG!" Michelangelo screamed, startling Donatello causing him to drop his invention.

"Geez Mike, you almost gave me a heart attack," Donatello complained irritated and picked his invention up with his hand.

Michelangelo was too frightened by the movie that he didn't answer his elder brother. He was hiding his eyes by placing his hands over his face so he couldn't see what was going to happen next. Aki smiled a little as she noticed that he nevertheless had separated two of his fingers, which gave him a full view to watch the TV.

"Look out man, he is right behind you!"

The ugly monster attacked the hero again from behind, and the hero tried desperately to fight for his life. Aki was relieved when the movie finished with a happy ending. She hated sad endings in movies. Michelangelo sighed heavily as he gazed down at the empty bowl.

"No more popcorn," he said slowly.

"You don't say Mikey, I'm only surprised that you didn't eat the bowl along with the popcorns," Donatello chuckled and rose from the armchair. "It is a quite an appetite you have."

"I was hungry," Michelangelo defended as he got up from the floor. "And now I'm even hungrier."

Aki looked kindly at Michelangelo who had a lost expression in his face like a child who was told by the parents that Santa wouldn't arrive at Christmas. "Then it is good that it is almost time for lunch. I'm also a bit hungry," Aki said encouragingly.

"No wonder, you haven't eaten that much since we brought you here. Lunch isn't a bad idea," Michelangelo said approvingly and nodded in content. "No, I actually believe that to eat a few of my great pizzas after this movie is a fantastic suggestion."

"It sounds wonderful," Donatello added. "I would like some pizza before I'm going to work on Akbot. It would be fun if he could make dinner for us tomorrow evening."

"Who is Akbot?" Leonardo asked wondering.

"It is a weird robot which Donny has been working on the last couple of days," Michelangelo remarked, shaking his head. "It looks like something from a Star Wars movie."

"It sounds interesting," Aki said and turned her face towards Donatello. "When did you decide to build it?"

"I have been planning it a few months now but it was first, when we brought you to the lair that I actually had the time to make him," Donatello told them and showed them the strange widget in his hands. "This is an electronically device which controls and transfers the electronic impulses in Akbot's mechanical body where I have placed some computer chips to receive the information which we are giving him."

"Huh? Say what again?" Michelangelo asked and looked confused at his genius brother. "I understood that it was some kind of an electronic device but after that you lost me."

"The function of this device does that Akbot reacts on our orders," Donatello explained patiently and gave them a cheerful smile. "In this case Akbot is my replacement as a cook."

"It is worth trying," Leonardo nodded and looked at his youngest brother. "I'm sure that Mikey would appreciate a helping hand in the kitchen."

"Yeah sure," Michelangelo mumbled, as he wasn't totally convinced by Donatello's latest invention. "But right now it is time to make some pizza. This is going to be the best, Aki. Just wait and see."

"Good Mikey, I think I'll join you," Donatello said and followed his brother in case that Michelangelo needed some assistance with the food.

Aki looked at the two brothers with a smile on her face. It was fun to study them. Michelangelo didn't seem trilled by the thought that Donatello was joining him in the kitchen. Leonardo noticed the look in her face and a smile flickered across his face.

"You should be grateful that you haven't tasted Donny's food yet," he assured and hurried to the TV screens to take the DVD.

Leonardo blamed himself that he had been weak. He knew what he felt for her and he didn't make it easier by making her touch him. When she had stroke his arm gently, he had fought a mental battle inside of him to prevent him to do something that he was going to regret later. He must neither tell nor show her that he was feeling for her. He needed to be in control of his feelings and his movements or Master Splinter would never forgive him.

Aki watched him silently as Leonardo placed the DVD back on the shelf. She noticed worryingly that the distant expression had returned to his face as if he was anywhere else but in the living room with her. Aki placed her arms around her knees while she rested her head on the top of them, looking at him with curiosity in her eyes.

"What's on your mind?" Aki asked simply.

"What do you mean?" Leonardo retorted with a questioning look.

"You seem troubled," she said and tilted her head on one side. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, I don't know…," Leonardo started but then hesitated to continue.

"You can tell me," Aki said encouragingly and added with a wry smile. "I'm not going to bite your head off."

She waited for his response but he merely shook his head with a sad expression on his face. Leonardo couldn't confide to her what he had been thinking about during the movie and he couldn't explain his reasons either. It had taken some time for him to realize that his feelings towards Aki had grown the last three days as he had cared for her but he knew that it was forbidden emotions, which he wasn't allowed to have or show her.

"It was nothing," Leonardo mumbled but he almost couldn't get the words out of his mouth. "It was simply nothing."

He couldn't say to her that he was thinking about her. There were a million reasons why he shouldn't do it and he wouldn't dare to risk his friendship with her because he had fallen in love with her. Yeah, it was exactly what had happened to him. He loved her, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe that there was a chance that she might share the same feelings for him. She was a human and he was a turtle. You couldn't get a more complicated connection than this dilemma. How should a union between them ever become possible? Aki raised her eyebrows in wonder as she didn't believe him but she eventually decided to drop the subject for now.

"Your brothers are great," she said to talk about something else.

"Yeah, they are," he agreed and took the remote to turn off the TV's. "We don't get so many visitors down here so I think that they are glad to speak to someone else for a change."

"I don't think that Raphael likes me though," Aki remarked and smiled faintly by the thought that she wouldn't be able to hold him at the ceiling much longer. He was too heavy for her.

"He doesn't like anybody," Leonardo said and gave her a sympathized look. "You shouldn't take it personal."

"I just can't understand why he is acting like a jerk when I haven't done anything to him. It frightens me," she admitted and looked down on the floor.

"You have to ignore what he says to you," Leonardo advised her wisely. "If you leave him alone then he won't do anything bad to you."

Aki was silent but he could see that she wasn't truly convinced. "You don't have to worry about it. He is actually a…," Leonardo continued but stopped himself before he said the word good. Raphael was anything but good. "Eh, he is okay when you get to know him better."

"You're probably right," Aki sighed and rose from the sofa. "I better have a talk with him."

Leonardo nodded and watched her leave the room. He had to prevent himself from following after her. He seriously doubted that his presence would be a benefit for Aki but he didn't wanted her to be alone with Raphael either when he was being a hothead. Leonardo turned his face towards the other side of the big area and walked determinedly towards the kitchen to join his brothers. He hoped in his heart that Aki's conversation with Raphael would go well because if Raphael did anything to hurt her, then Leonardo would make sure that it would be his last mistake with her.

Aki hesitated a moment before she walked into Leonardo's room. She was aware that it wasn't going to be an easy talk but she hoped that she could straight things out with the red-masked turtle. If she didn't do it then she was going to live in fear for him for the rest of her life and it was definitely not a bright future. As she entered the door, Raphael immediately set his gaze at her. Aki shivered a bit and was already feeling uncomfortable. He didn't have to say a word. The only thing he had to do was giving her that look and she was nervous. Aki swallowed and took a few steps closer to him, while she was trying to find the courage to speak to him.

"Well, you're getting tired now, aren't you?" Raphael asked with satisfaction glowing in his eyes.

"Yes I am, but that is not the reason why I'm here," Aki told him and tried to make her voice calm and steady. "I could easily make you hang there a bit longer, if I really wanted to."

"Then why are you here?" Raphael asked giving her a look filled with mistrust.

"You're not going to apologize to me?" Aki asked.

"Not ever in your wildest imagination," Raphael nodded. "I'm glad that you finally got the message."

"Why won't you?"

"Why would I?" Raphael retorted and gave her a challenging look.

"Because it is polite?" Aki suggested dryly.

"I'm not polite," Raphael replied sharply.

"No, I noticed," Aki mumbled quietly to herself and glanced at the turtle. "I'm going to release you."

Raphael's eyes widened in surprise but he didn't say anything as she put him down on the floor. Aki turned her back to him and gasped as she felt his three fingers grab around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his plastron. Aki didn't make a single movement. She didn't have the courage when she felt the cold metal of his sai against her throat.

"Don't you _ever_ make such a trick on me again woman! If you choose to defy me on this then I'm going to make your pathetic life a living nightmare," Raphael threatened harshly and pulled his sai an inch closer to her skin. "Do we understand each other?"

"I won't let you threaten me," Aki said but her lips quivered with fear. "I have been living with horrors all my life. Why should I be afraid?"

"You should be," Raphael hissed angrily in her ear as he slowly removed his sai away from her throat. "Let me give you some advice. Stay the hell out of my way Aki, if you don't want anything bad happen to you."

Leonardo had said something along that line to her but Aki wasn't going to accept it without doing anything about it. She could sense that Raphael was angry with her because of the humiliation, which she had put him through. She had made a fool of him in front of his entire family and he wasn't going to forgive her. Yet, Aki was determined that she wouldn't live in fear because of him. She wished that they could become friends or that he could accept her at least. Aki had thought of a plan on the way to Leonardo's room that might win his acceptation of her. Raphael passed her with a look, which told her that she was lucky enough to be alive but in the same second, she turned short and raised the palm of her hand against his shell, sending him smashing into the wall. Raphael cursed lowly as he rose from the floor, his eyes flashing with pure rage.

"You're really pushing it lady," he snarled furiously.

"Calm down!" Aki entreated. "I'm sorry that I did that but I need to talk with you. I'm not your enemy."

"You're barking up the wrong tree," Raphael rejected her and turned angry around to disappear quickly from the room before he changed his mind and attacked her.

"Raphael, I don't want us to be enemies," Aki said.

Raphael stopped his movements, looking at her above his shoulder with disdain written in his face. "It is a little late for that, don't you think?"

"At least I'm willing to change it," Aki remarked sharply.

"You must be incredible brave or incredible stupid if you think for a second that I'm going to fall for that one," Raphael said annoyed by the truth in her words. "I wasn't born yesterday."

"Really?" Aki asked tartly with sarcasm in her voice.

"Whatever you're trying to achieve, forget about it," Raphael hissed irritated. "You're getting on my nerves."

"So we have one thing in common," Aki remarked seriously.

Raphael shook his head but felt his anger slowly faded away. He faced her with a smirk on his face as he realized that she might have a point. "Okay, what did you had in mind?"

"A fight," Aki answered shortly.

"A fight?" Raphael repeated, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're brave little thief. Do you actually believe that you stand a chance against me without using any magic?"

Aki felt a slight shiver when he called her brave little thief. It was from the first time they had met each other in April's store. However, she couldn't help smiling at him as she considered his challenge. She was no longer afraid of him, and he didn't seem so angry with her anymore. Aki had hoped to achieve this situation though she had feared the worst consequences of her actions. She had noticed that Raphael was a fighter and maybe she had to challenge him to win his acceptation of her. Aki wasn't stupid enough to hope that he would trust her. It wasn't his nature but in this way, they could get even and start from scratch with their friendship.

"I could totally kick your ass," Aki said with a big grin on her face. "Without using any magic."

"It sounds like a challenge," he said with a wry smile.

"But if I win, I want my apology," Aki demanded with a firm gaze.

"And if I win?" Raphael asked and smiled cruelly. "What's in it for me?"

"What do you want?" Aki asked nervously. "Do you also want an apology from me too or what?"

Raphael could see that she was concerned for what he was going to ask for her in return which he found very amusing. She was nervous and yet she didn't hesitate at all. Raphael wasn't the one to admit that he was impressed but he was. In some way he felt the strong desire to get his revenge but he knew that it would be the wrong choice if Aki was sincere about starting from the beginning again. It would take a long time before Raphael would forgive her that she had let him hanging at the ceiling but she was right that they couldn't be enemies forever, especially not when they were going to live with each other. By the way Raphael had a small suspicion that his family wouldn't take it easy on him if he didn't accepted the new chance which she was offering him.

"No, to be honest I'll give a damn about your apologies," Raphael said sincerely. "But I don't care that you're using your powers as you did a few hours ago. I won't be flying in air because of something I said to you. If you want us to come along with one another, then you're going to accept me for what I am. I'm not going to change, so if I win, you won't use your powers against me ever. Do we have a bet?"

Aki nodded in acknowledgement over the deal. She was somewhat surprised that he hadn't punished her. Raphael kept his hard gazeon Aki's face. He was still smiling as he was amused by the thought of fighting with her. Aki didn't believe one second that she was able to defeat him on these terms and she suspected that Raphael knew it too. As a member of the order "The Five Elements", she had been trained in martial art, but she had quickly discovered at their first meeting that she wasn't in their league. She would try to defend herself as best as she could, but it would only be a matter of time before she would get exhausted. However, it sounded like fun to her and if it meant as the only option to make him accept her, then she would do it without hesitation. Aki raised her eyebrow, looking at the red-masked turtles with a questioning gaze. He finally nodded and made a sign for her to follow him.

"Come with me," he invited.

Aki had seen the room from the big area, when she had walked around with Leonardo as her tour guide. The training room, also known with the name dojo, had a very simple furnishing compared to the other rooms. The dojo was covered with a dozen mats over the entire floor and it merely one wall that had some kind of decoration with some drawings of Japanese words. Aki smile a little as she read the writing on the wall. She got more and more fascinated of the martial art, which was playing a huge part in her friend's life. As living in China for many years, Aki was familiar to the knowledge of Ninjitsu, but she had never studied it carefully. As she thought about it, it didn't sound as a bad idea. Splinter had pointed out earlier that she maybe came from a family of ninjas. Raphael went to the left side of the dojo, placing his Sais on the mats, whereupon he stood in front of her.

"You begin," he said with a big grin on his face.

"No, after you," Aki smiled back.

Raphael returned her gaze and attacked her quickly without hesitation. He aimed a blow at her head with his hand but she threw it to the side and got hold of his wrist. She spun around to the right to kick him in the plastron and send him to the ground. Unfortunately, he had already seen it coming and she had to get go because she didn't want to get in a vulnerable position.

Aki tried desperately to follow his movements but he was fast and stopped most of her attacks. There was neither time to neither think nor time to say any words. It was merely movements and Aki had to rely on her instincts to avoid his attacks. Raphael kicked after her in the back and she grabbed his foot within a second. Raphael smiled cruelly, giving almost an invisible shake of his head. Aki eyes widened as she saw his look and ducked immediately as he jumped and turned around in the air to hit her with the other foot. Aki rolled to the side and got up as fast as she could. It wasn't a good idea to stay lying on the floor when he was going to attack her.

Raphael was trying to hit her with his hand once again, but he failed as Aki turned to the side to escape from the blow, gripping his wrist for the second time while she used the other one to seize his shoulder. This time she also had to drop her attack as Raphael spun around in a circle, making it easy to get away from her.

Aki could feel that she was getting more tired in her body, mainly because she had been exhausted from the beginning but the problem was that for the last minutes she hadn't been able to get close to attack him. She had also lost track of time. It seemed as an eternity since they began their fight in the dojo and on the same time, she didn't have any rest either. She had to admit that she actually enjoyed fighting with the tempestuous turtle. He was a skilled opponent who hadn't any intentions to make this easy for her and she liked it. It was a personal challenge for her to fight against him without using any of her magical powers. There had been a couple of times where she had been tempted to make use of them but she had promised him not to do so and it had been fun and a good change for her merely to use her own body, not to mention that she was proud that she still was able to stand on her legs.

She barely had the time to think the thought through, as she couldn't prevent his next attempt to hit her. He dropped down and swept her feet out from under her. Before she got the time to realize what had happened to her, she was flat on her back, staring up at him with a surprised look in her face. He took a firm grip on both her wrists holding her down painfully on each side of her head. Aki groaned and tried to catch her breath. Raphael was strong but Aki tried to struggle anyway. She gave up after a few seconds and stared at him. His breath was heavy but steady and his eyes sparked with hidden excitement. She had lost. Aki waited for him to let her get up but he didn't let go off her either.

Aki could sense that he wasn't angry with her anymore. On the contrary, there was a strange glint in his eyes, which she hadn't seen before and she looked deep into his brown eyes. He didn't release her and his triumphing smile fainted away as they stared at each other only a few inches apart. She could feel his weight holding her down to the floor. He didn't try to prevent her from attacking him no more. He knew perfectly well that she couldn't and wouldn't do it.

"Hey people, it is lunch time if you're interested," Michelangelo offered and came barging into the room. "Woah, did I interrupt anything?"

Immediately Raphael was on his feet and pointed threateningly at his youngest brother. "You better watch your dirty mouth Mikey," he hissed with anger flaring in his eyes. "Or you'll be the next one."

"I'm sorry, I was just asking if you were hungry or not," Michelangelo complained acting a bit insulted by his brother's behaviour but he couldn't hide the cheerful look in his face. "Then I'm going to leave you two alone."

Aki sat up quietly and studied curiously Raphael's face. He seemed ready to strangle his brother on the spot and she could perfectly understand why Michelangelo quickly disappeared from sight. Raphael looked at her and lent her a hand.

"He can really be a buffoon sometimes," Raphael said and helped her to get up from the floor. "You fought a lot better than I expected."

Instinctively, Aki could sense that Raphael wasn't the kind of person who was willing to give someone a compliment and therefore she gave a warm smile by his remark. Raphael gave her a questioning lookwhen she reached the palm of her hand out to him.

"Friends?" she asked mildly.

"Friends," he nodded confirmingly and shook her hand firmly.

"I promise that I won't use my powers against you," she said and added with a wry smile. "Do you trust me now, Raphael?"

"Not ever," Raphael grinned and walked to the mats where he had placed is weapons. "But I respect you."

"I couldn't ask for anything else," Aki said and walked to the door. "I'm glad that the lunch is ready. Do you care to join me?"

"In a minute," Raphael responded shortly.

Aki nodded and left the room. Raphael was lost in his own thoughts while he twisted one of his Sai slowly in his hand. He could care less about food; his thoughts kept circling around Aki. Something had definitely changed the atmosphere between them before Michelangelo came barging through the door but he couldn't explain what it was.

"What the hell, I don't even know what happened, so why do I care?" he mumbled to himself, placing his Sais in his belt as he turned to the direction of the living room

A/N: Oh, what has happened between them? This is getting exciting as I write more of the story. Unfortunately, I can't say which date the next chapter is ready for you. I recently have a boyfriend and am very much in love so I don't have as much time on my hands as I used too. Please feel welcome to add a review. I really appreciate your opinions.


	13. The origin of the ninjas

A/N: Hi everybody, I'm back with the next chapter for you. I just want to thank you for reading this story and to those, who were kind enough to leave a review are **coldsun and Ramica**, who I want to give a special thanks because you corrects my errors in my translation and I'm grateful for your help.

I really enjoyed reading your reviews especially regarding Raphael. I'm not going to reveal anything about his relationship with Aki at this moment though but it was fun to read your reactions. Now that was enough talking from my part. Enjoy the next chapter…

Aki was sitting on the sofa in the living room together with Michelangelo and Raphael. She turned her head to the wall where a small clock was hanging above the big TV screens. It was getting late and she wondered how she had been able to stay awake for such a long time. She had been very tired after she had her fight with Raphael, but she knew perfectly that she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she wanted to. So many things had occurred, since she had told her life story to her new mutant friends.

Aki had been in this room the last couple of hours after she had left the dinner table. Splinter had told them that he had decided to meditate on the new information, which she had given them, and had left them early. It was no wonder why Donatello hadn't joined them to watch a new movie. Akbot was almost finished and Aki had only smiled in understanding as she had noticed the excitement in his eyes, which had sparkled with joy over his latest invention. She had soon realized that Donatello hated the fact that he couldn't cook anything without ruining it.

Aki had a hard time in her mind considering Leonardo, who had seemed distracted most of the evening. When she had tried to make a conversation with him, he mostly ignored her. It worried her that he was acting strange towards her and she couldn't help wondering if she had offended him somehow without noticing it.

"This is a stupid movie, Mikey!" Raphael burst out in irritation as he faced his younger brother. "Nothing had happened in the last fifteen minutes. I got better things to do than watching this crap!"

None of them said a word, when Raphael rose irritated from the sofa to leave the room. Michelangelo turned his head to the side to look at Aki who merely gave a little mild shake of her head. They both knew that Raphael had seemed a little restless after he had joined them, so it wasn't a big surprise for them that he reacted as he did. After all, he was just being himself.

"This is the part of the movie which I always love," Michelangelo laughed as he turned his attention back to the movie when the villain gave a furious look towards the hero. "It kindda reminds me of Raph, when he is in his hot-headed mood."

"Something you dare to say in my face, Mike?" Raphael remarked dryly, walking back to his place with a beer in his hand.

"I thought that you didn't like the movie," Aki said as the red-masked turtle placed his legs on the coffee table.

"I don't," Raphael said with a smirk.

"Then why are you staying?" Aki asked and raised her eyebrows.

"Why are you interested?" Raphael retorted and gave her a questioning look.

"Never mind," Aki sighed resignedly. "Have you seen Leonardo? I haven't seen him since we finished with the dinner."

"He is probably in the dojo," Michelangelo said and received a stern look from his brother. "What? He is training his Ninjitsu as much as he can."

"I know bonehead, but Aki was talking to me and _not _you," Raphael snapped annoyed by his brother's behaviour.

"Hey, it is the land of freedom," Michelangelo said and shrugged his shoulders. "I can answer her, if I want to."

"Don't fight guys," Aki added quickly before Raphael made a tartly reply. "I was just wondering where he was. That's all!"

"He was definitely not in the dojo," Raphael rejected and gave Michelangelo an ice-cold look. "The last time I saw him, he was walking to his room when I was going to get a beer."

"Fine," Aki nodded and got up from the sofa.

"Why?" Raphael asked quickly before she left the room.

"What?" Aki stopped, gazing at him over her shoulder.

"Why was it important to know where he was?" Raphael asked and his eyes shined curiously at her.

"I want to ask him a few questions," Aki answered and turned her back to Raphael, leaving the room with fast steps.

Aki walked slowly to Leonardo's room as she thought about what she was going to say to the serious turtle. He had avoided her most of the evening and therefore she wasn't sure if he would talk with her. Somehow, Aki didn't know why it was so important to seek him for answers to the questions, which had troubled her since the meeting in Leonardo's room. After all, it wasn't questions, which Master Splinter couldn't answer, but Aki felt deep inside that she also needed an advice from Leonardo.

They had shared a connection of friendship between them and it was a strong feeling, which she couldn't ignore. Aki stopped just inside the doorway, looking at Leonardo who was sitting in a cross-legged position on the floor. Aki studied his face carefully. His eyes were closed, his breathing was slow and yet steady. Aki had seen this before and concluded that he was meditating.

"How are you feeling Aki?" Leonardo's voice came calmly. "It has been a long day for you."

Aki was startled by the sound of his voice. She hadn't expected him to react and it surprised her that he was aware of her presence though he hadn't opened his eyes. Leonardo turned his head in her direction, facing her with a stern look. Aki actually felt slightly annoyed as she returned it. He was still keeping the calm and cold expression in his face.

"How did you know it was me?" Aki asked finally after a few seconds of silence. "Your eyes were closed."

"But my ears weren't," Leonardo pointed out logically. "You don't think about it but it is easy to hear a person walking around in a room. Even though you're trying to be quiet I'm trained to sense your presence."

"So I'm loud?" Aki asked with a little smile.

"Yeah, I could hear you several seconds before you entered the room," Leonardo admitted and returned her smile. "But it doesn't matter because I'm a ninja and you're not."

"You believed that I'm from a ninja clan," Aki remarked. "My mother's gift to me was the weapon of a female ninja, remember?"

"It might be," Leonardo nodded and rose from the floor. "But a single weapon doesn't prove anything."

"I know but I'm curious nonetheless about your suggestion," Aki said and crossed her arms. "I don't know much about the art of Ninjitsu. It was only the clans who knew the mystery of the secret order."

"It isn't a big mystery when you read their history," Leonardo told her and walked to his bookshelf as he seized one of the books. "The origin of the ninjas is a story which was kept in the darkness for many years and even when their stories were revealed for the public, the lifestyle and techniques were not."

"I have never heard about their origin," Aki said and looked over his shoulder as he turned a page in the book. "Oh, what a horrible thing!"

"According to the legends the art of Ninjitsu was created by _Tengus_. These were supernatural creatures."

A little smile flickered across Aki's face as she studied the picture of the Tengu. It was a strange looking creature, which were a half man and a half crow. It had a long nose, huge wings behind on the back and a sword in his hands. Aki turned her attention away from the picture to face Leonardo.

"What was _Tengu_?"

"They lived in the wild forest and mountain areas where they sought enlightenment in the mystery of life and the connection of the universe through meditation," Leonardo told her and showed her another picture with a human. "They passed the teaching and other techniques like sword fighting to some chosen individuals of the human race. One of the historical Japanese heroes Minamoto Yoshitsune lived from 1159 to 1189 and it was told that he had studied the secret art and philosophy with the big _Tengus_."

"That is the traditional version?" Aki asked and raised one of her eyebrows in wonder.

"Yeah, pretty much," Leonardo nodded, placing the book back on the shelf, while he grabbed another one with his free hand. "But there is also a more realistic side of the story."

"Some scientists believe that it had something to do with the Buddhism," Leonardo continued.

"What do you mean?" Aki asked.

"The Buddhism came to Japan around 600 AD. About 300 hundred years later the new religion was based in many places but there was also the old Japanese religion _Shinto_. Most of the monks came from China and India to tell other people about the teaching of Buddha but some of the local rulers saw this religion as a threat to them. They banished the monks who fled to the deserted mountain forests. The scientists believe that these monks used their battle techniques to defend the small monasteries they built in the mountains. They could have been the strange _Tengus_."

"But it isn't certain?"

"They don't have any proof, but it is a nice theory," Leonardo shrugged his shoulders as he turned another page in the book. "At that time Japan was a feudal society with social class. The bottom consisted of the normal people _Heimin _who were the farmers, merchants, artisans and anglers. Above this class were the warrior and the aristocracy, _Buke _and _Kuge_. The whole society was ruled by a divine emperor who was known as the _Daimyo_."

"I actually remember that I have heard something about the _Daimyo_. Wasn't he a ruler who owned big properties and armies with professional noble warriors _Bushi_?"

"They are better known as _Samurai_, but you're correct. They had only one purpose in life: Battle. As such they kept an honour codex about the behaviour of the warrior."

"_Bushi-do_," Aki nodded but gave him suddenly a confused look. "But how did the ninjas get involved?"

"In the period between the 11th century and 13th century there were many battles between the different _Daimyos_ and some of the defeated noble clans broke up. When this happens to the clan, all of the members became _Heimin _and some of them joined the monks in the mountains who were known as _Yama-Bushi_, mountain warrior. They developed a new religion and found a new way to fight. These people became a thorn in the side of the aristocracy, but they couldn't make them disappear easily. The little new societies didn't fight face to face but attacked by night and used ambush to defeat their enemy. They had become shadow warriors."

"Alias the ninjas," Aki smiled.

"There were several families like the _Hattori and Oe in Iga _and the _Momochi in Koga_, which became the _Ninjitsu-Ryu_, which we know of today. In 13th century, there were in _Koga_ about 50 different families. As the time went by the _Daimyos _realized that the ninjas could be useful allies because they could do things which their honour codex forbid them to do."

"It didn't meant dishonour for them if others did their dirty job," Aki said and added with a smile. "Cool!"

"The ninjas were mostly a spy organisation which main target was information about everything or they could be assassins. The _Daimyos _used the ninjas' abilities against each other. The art of Ninjitsu had been created but the ninjas as an organisation disappeared when the _Shoguns _were gone in the year 1868. Some of the ninjas joined the police while other took the dark path as criminals of the society. Today it is merely a few people who are keeping the martial art alive."

"Like Splinter," Aki said and laid her hand on his shoulder. "And he had passed his knowledge to you."

Leonardo heaved a sigh, before he gently removed her hand and placed the last book on the shelf. He didn't want to offend Aki but he could let her touch him. As Leonardo had discovered his strong feelings for her, it had been clear to him that he had to avoid her as much as he could. He was afraid what the consequences might be if he didn't stay strong and kept focus in his mind. Aki's eyes widened a bit at his reaction but she didn't say anything.

"Master Splinter is our _Jonin _as he is the leader of our clan and I'm the _Chunin_, because I have been chosen to be the leader for my brothers. In feudal Japan, it was common that the _Jonin _had several _Chunins,_ which again had many _Genins_. They didn't know each other because it was too dangerous if one of them was captured by the enemy. If the person only knew his teacher then the organisation wasn't in great danger of being revealed."

"You suspected that my mother came from a ninja family," Aki said and looked at him with a questioning look. "Why? I can't imagine that it was only the fan which made you suspicious."

"At first I thought that it was your father who was a ninja," Leonardo reminded her with an expressionless look in his face. "But it actually made more sense to me when you told me that it was your mother who had given you the fan."

"Why?" Aki asked confused.

"Ninjas begin their training of their children when they are three years old. You told us that you were four years old when your mother sent you to The Five Elements. Maybe she did it to protect you, not only because of your powers, but maybe she also wanted to protect you from her clan. The fan could be the last memory of her as the person who she really was."

"You think that she was a criminal?" Aki said and gasped in shock. "You can't be serious. My father was a police officer!"

"And it is a possibility that they met each other when he arrested her," Leonardo concluded firmly. "Have they ever told you the actual story about their first meeting?"

"No," Aki admitted. "But that doesn't mean that she was a criminal."

"It is a theory Aki, and it makes sense, why your mother decided to leave you as she did," Leonardo said sadly and bowed his head. "I'm sorry that I got you upset. That wasn't my intention."

"Don't be," Aki said and took a deep breath. "Your suggestion does make sense and I shouldn't have snapped at you. It isn't your fault that my mother apparently was a stupid woman."

"But a woman with a great heart," Leonardo added and looked seriously at her. "She loved you and it took a lot of courage in her heart to leave her child to those who could take care of her. If your mother was a _Kunoichi_, a woman ninja in the Japanese underworld, then there have been consequences of her decisions."

"What does the history tell you about the female ninjas?" Aki said finally after a few moments of silence.

"They have excited through the time but were used differently than men. The _Kunoichi_ was trained almost the same way as the male ninja but there were differences because of the fact that she was a woman. Dance, music, the tea ceremony, flower arrangements and love art was female qualities. Make-up and clothes was important since the female assassin shouldn't make any mistakes to reveal her mission. Some of her weapons could be the fan or the long needles which they used to decorate their hair."

"You know a lot about their history," Aki said and smiled a little. "But I'm not surprised. Ninjitsu is a great part of your life."

"Yeah, it is and I like to study the books and scrolls written by the ninja masters," Leonardo told her sincerely but then got the expressionless look back in his face. "I'm sorry that I have taken your room from you Aki. I just needed some time to meditate on the stories you shared with us. The candles inhere make me relax more."

"Please don't apologize to me," Aki pleaded and gave a small shake of her head. "This is your room Leonardo. If someone should apologize then it should be me for being such a burden to you."

"You're _not_ a burden," Leonardo stated firmly and looked seriously at her. "You better n_ever _believe it even for a second because we are happy to have you here. It is safest for you if you stay in our home."

"Safest for me?" Aki repeated and looked a bit annoyed at him. "So this is the only reason why you're keeping me here? Because if that is the case, then I'm going to leave this place immediately. It means more danger to you, if Rex finds me here in the sewers."

"Aki, I didn't mean it like that," Leonardo protested and for the first time since the afternoon, she actually saw a feeling of frustration in his face. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I can take care of myself Leonardo," Aki said irritated. "Rex is going to find me anyway. I didn't stay in your lair because it would be safe. You and your family can't protect me and you know it! If I was brave enough to do, what is the right thing to do then I would get out in the city, confront the damn witch, and try to take the flutes so no one gets hurt."

"Aki, please stay," Leonardo insisted and walked closer to her than he intended to. "I would worry my shell out if you were walking alone in the city. If something happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

"Of course you would feel bad because of your sense of duty!" Aki hissed and turned short to leave him.

She felt hurt by his words. She knew that he was trying to calm her down and she hated it. She felt disgusted by his cold tone and the stern expression in his face when he was talking to her. He was acting as if she wasn't a person with feelings and it annoyed her that she apparently was an object to him, which he felt the need to protect. Why had he changed, she didn't knew and at this point, she couldn't care less about it.

"Not because of my sense of duty," Leonardo responded and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to his body. "Don't you ever believe that!"

"What am I going to believe? You have been acting cold and careless towards me since I left you before lunch. What the hell happened to you?"

"Aki, it isn't easy to explain," Leonardo swallowed hardly.

This wasn't getting any better. She was too close to him. He was only a few inches from her mouth. He felt a great desire to kiss her soft lips well knowing that it was something that was forbidden. He turned his head away from while he still was in control of his actions. He had promised Splinter that he wouldn't allow a union between. He had to stay focused and don't loose his mind because of her.

"Don't you turn your face away from me Leo," Aki said harshly and moved to the side to face him.

"Aki, what are you expecting?" Leonardo said and finally managed to get his feelings under control. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to know where the real Leo is. I want to know what happened to the caring good turtle who was my friend and support through the last four days. What has changed?"

"Nothing has changed," Leonardo stated firmly and the cold expression returned to his face. "The real Leo is a turtle who doesn't let emotions control his mind. The real Leo keeps clear thoughts on his actions and would do anything to protect his family and his friends despised himself. We're still friends Aki, but don't expect anything more because it would only leave you with a great disappointment."

"What?"

"You heard me," Leonardo replied in a calm tone, walking pass her towards the door. "You better get some sleep Aki. We are both tired and it has been a long day."

"You're right, it has," Aki said without looking at him.

Leonardo stopped suddenly as he could sense the sadness in her voice. He had hurt her badly by his words. The pain, which he was feeling inside, got worse as he continued through the doorway with fast steps. He had done what he needed to do, but it hurt nevertheless. He had never felt so much pain in his heart, and he gathered all his strength to prevent him from turning around and apologize to her for his awful behaviour. However, it was impossible for him to cast a sidelong glance at her over his shoulder. His heart stopped beating as he saw tears rolling down her cheeks. What had he done?

"Oh Aki, I love you so much," Leonardo whispered lowly. "More than you ever can imagine."

A/N: It doesn't look good for the love, I can say that much… I forgot to mention that the information in this chapter comes from a book about Ninjitsu. Unfortunately, I can't recall the title right now. Please feel welcome to leave a review. I appreciate your opinions.


	14. Secrets in the night

A/N: Hello everybody. I hope that you had a merry Christmas and a happy new year. After some busy weeks, I finally got the time to finish the next chapter and I just want to say a little thanks to the readers, in particular those who took the time to leave a review. This was **an anonymous and Ramica**.

I was actually a bit sorry about the question from the anonymous because I couldn't give a reply to the person. I hope that this person reads this chapter as I'm going to explain myself. It is correct that you haven't seen much to Michelangelo or Donatello the last three chapters, but they are there!

The reason why they don't play a big part in these last chapters is because I have to explain Leonardo's and Raphael's feelings and personalities and therefore they have to be alone. You can't feel the persons' personalities if there aren't any deeper description of them.

I also have to mention that this story is a love story. Therefore, Leonardo plays the greatest part in the story and I'm not going to change that. I hope that I can make the anonymous happy because this chapter has both Michelangelo and Donatello, mainly because I was aware of the fact that they had been neglected a bit. I'm sorry but you can't always have all the characters in the chapters if you want to show their deepest thoughts and sides of personality. I hope it answered the question. Well, enjoy the next chapter….

Aki opened her eyes slowly. She gave a soft moan as she stretched her tired body on the mattress. She turned around to lie on her back with her eyes facing the ceiling and the palm of her hands supporting her neck. This was getting annoying, as she couldn't fall asleep. Her mind couldn't stop thinking about Leonardo and what had happened between them. As she recalled the situation, she couldn't quite understand why she had gotten so upset by his words. He had merely told her that he wanted to protect her from danger and she had lost her mind. What had she been expecting of him?

It confused her that she had reacted as she did. It wasn't like her to be a hothead. Aki sat up on the mattress, resting her head on her knees. She had to apologize for her bad behaviour the next morning. Aki placed herself in her previous position but she was still unable to fall asleep.

She was thinking about the information, which she had shared with her friends. She knew what she had to do to defeat Rex, using the flutes against her to remove her powers. She needed to get out from the lair to find the herbs, which she needed to make the magic potion. It wasn't an easy task and she had to be careful with the doses of the herbs. Otherwise, she might kill Rex. Aki gave a resigned shake of her head.

She had wanted to kill that woman for the past few months but unfortunately, she knew in her heart that she didn't have the courage to do it. On the other hand, why should she feel sorry about the lack of will to murder her? Her revenge could be even greater if she was able to remove the powers from the damn witch. Aki smiled wickedly as she thought about the surprised expression in the face of her enemy. She felt bad in her mind that she was happy about Rex's transformation into a mortal human being but Rex deserved her destiny nonetheless.

The only thing she had to find was the magic spell. Aki gasped suddenly as she realized what she had forgotten. Aki had spent most of the day with her new friends and had completely ignored the fact that she couldn't remember the magic spell or the ingredients of the potion, which she needed to remove the powers from Rex. Aki leaped from the mattress and stood immediately on the floor, seizing her clothes on the nearby chair with fast movements.

"You're a stupid idiot!" Aki hissed, cursing herself many times because of her bad memory. "You weren't thinking!"

This instant, she knew that she was lying to herself. She had been thinking all day and it definitely hadn't been about the magic spell or the potion. Aki closed her eyes and could see him clearly, as if he was standing in front of her. She could see his scaled skin with light green colour, his shining brown eyes and his warm smile. She remembered seeing him laugh when they were looking inside Michelangelo's room. Somehow, she couldn't make the memory disappear and she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to.

Aki considered if she should tell her friends that she had to leave the lair for a few hours. She put her black shirt on her body and held her hair with one hand, making a ponytail with the other. She rejected the idea, as she turned short to leave the room. She didn't intended to wake any of the turtles or Splinter when she knew that it wouldn't take a long time before she would have found the magic book, which she had kept in her old hiding spot. She froze, as she looked down at the big area where she found Raphael and Michelangelo, who were still in the living room. Raphael was standing behind the sofa, looking silently at the sleeping Michelangelo. However, Raphael made a movement to look over his shoulder as if he could sense her presence.

"Shit!" Aki whispered lowly and turned to the side, hiding herself behind one of the pillars.

Didn't the mutants ever sleep? Though she hadn't been able to sense time in their home, she had the feeling that it was getting late. For a brief moment, she actually considered asking them to join her. She bit the bottom lip in doubt, as she felt very confused and considered her possibilities, which she had left. She could tell them the truth that she had made a horrible mistake. Unfortunately, it would also mean that she had to make a confession and tell them that she had forgotten to mention the magic book. The other option was that she could wait until they were asleep and get the book back herself without any complications. Whatever she decided, she needed that book to be in her possession to make the spell and the potion.

Suddenly she realized that she could never tell them about her secret. Even though she trusted them with her life, she didn't want to reveal anything about the magic book. She had made a promise once to the element of water that she couldn't allow any mortal living creatures to read this book, which contained the secrets of the order. Yet, Aki felt sadness in her heart. She didn't want to lie and keep secrets from her friends. It wasn't fair to any of them. Raphael turned his head back to the previous position, thinking that he had been imagining a shadow on the upper level of the lair. Raphael reached over the sofa, giving his unsuspecting younger brother a hard pinch on the arm.

"Ow!" Michelangelo shouted as he woke from the sharp pain.

Raph placed a hand over his mouth, looking at Michelangelo with a hard gaze.

"Be quiet," he reprimanded. "Everyone is sleeping. They don't need your yelling around in the lair."

He took his hand off Michelangelo's mouth after a moment, who returned his gaze with an angry expression in his face.

"Why'd the hell you do that for?" he demanded in a hushed tone.

"Because I could," Raphael replied cruelly and gave his brother a wry smile. "Stop complaining Mikey. How else was I going to wake you up?"

Michelangelo growled a bit and stretched his arms. "You know Raph; you could have left me alone."

"Yeah I could," Raphael agreed and grabbed his arm. "But there is the fun in doing that? Get up, you big baby, and go to bed."

"Okay okay, I'm going," Michelangelo said irritated. "What about Donatello? Has he gone to bed?"

"I don't think so," Raphael answered and shrugged his shoulders. "And I don't care really."

"Why?" His youngest brother asked with a confused expression. "You wouldn't even let me sleep on the sofa."

"You're different Mike. You're impossible to wake up the next morning if you don't get your sleep. Donny isn't. However, we can't do anything about Donatello even if we tried. You know how he is when he is working on his inventions. He can't take his mind off them."

"I know," Michelangelo nodded, but added with a smile. "But I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't try it."

"Good luck," Raphael smiled and walked towards the stairs. "I'm going to bed now."

"Good night Raph," Michelangelo said softly and got up from the sofa, heading towards Donatello's workshop.

Aki was standing still behind her pillar until it was safe to get out. She didn't move from her hiding position, before she heard the sound of Raphael's door closing not far from her. Then she turned in the direction of the stairs and went towards the front door.

In the meantime, Donatello quickly passed his working table, grabbing his hammer on the way to Akbot. The robot, who Michelangelo had described like something from Star Wars, was almost finished and Donatello was facing his creation with a proud expression on his face.

"You're going to make the best dinner ever," Donatello said cheerfully as he took a firm grip around Akbot's head.

Donatello cast a sidelong glance at the small clock on his table before he let the tool hit the robot. The hammer strokes weren't as loud as they could have been. The purple masked turtle knew that he had to be careful with the noise in his workshop, especially when it was getting late. He had learned quickly through his childhood that he had to take into consideration that his family wanted to sleep. He didn't have to torture the clan because he was unable to take his mind from his work. Donatello placed the hammer back on the table and tightened some of the nuts on Akbot's head.

"Well, you aren't a pretty one," Donatello said and heaved a sigh of relief. "But you're ready to make some food."

"You can say that again," Michelangelo remarked with a wry smile. "Hi bro. Don't you know what time it is?"

"Actually I do," Donatello replied and looked at his brother with a humorous glint in his eyes. "Which make me wonder why you're still up, Mike. Have you been watching a late movie or something?"

"No, frankly I fell asleep on the sofa," Michelangelo admitted, shrugging his shoulders. Donatello was never the one who teased him a lot about his bad sleeping habits. "It was Raph who decided that it was more important to be in my bed instead of the sofa."

"Typical Raph," Donatello nodded. "So why aren't you in bed then?"

"I wanted to see why you were still working in your workshop and wanted to give you some aid with your project if it was necessary."

"It is nice of you, but I'm done with Akbot," Donatello said thankfully and yawned tiredly. "I'm probably heading to bed myself."

"So you're trying Akbot tomorrow, huh?" Michelangelo said and gave a little shake of his head at the sight of the robot. "I don't know Donny. A machine can never replace the real cook."

"Don't you be so sure Mikey," Donatello said and pointed at some recipes, which was placed on the table. "I have giving the best cooking recipes to him which he'll use tomakeus dinner."

"I know," Michelangelo agreed quickly. "It is just that to make good food, you need something that a robot can never have."

"And what it that?" Donatello asked and wondered if he had forgotten something in his calculations.

"Experience," Michelangelo explained and took one of the recipes, showing them to his brother. "I've been the cook in this family for the last couple of years and trust me. I never truly follow the exact recipe. Food comes from the heart and not from the mind."

"You sounded almost like Splinter there," Donatello said softly.

"Yeah, sometimes I can pay attention," Michelangelo said, putting the recipe back on the table.

They both shared a look, and Donatello nodded. No actual words had been exchanged between them, but the brothers were so close, so sometimes there was no need for them. Donatello patted his brother on the shoulder, turning to leave his workshop behind him, when he suddenly heard a constant bleeping noise on his computer.

"What the…," he exclaimed, placing his body in front of the computer.

"What is the matter Don?" Michelangelo asked, while he looked on the blue computer screen over his brother's shoulder.

"Someone has activated the alarms near the front door," Donatello explained patiently as he pressed his fingers intensively on the keyboard. "The question is who the person is?"

"Do you think that it is Rex?" Michelangelo asked anxiously.

"No silly head," Donatello said resignedly. "We would have known if Rex had been coming towards the lair. I have placed several sensors around in the sewers which can sense heating elements."

"What are your theory then Sherlock?" Michelangelo asked a bit insulted, as he believed he could have been right about Rex.

"I believe that our dear lady friend is leaving the lair without saying anything to us about it," Donatello stated and ignored the sarcasm in his brother's voice. "Here you can see the picture from the sensors."

"No doubt that's Aki," Michelangelo said in acknowledgement. "But why is she going alone? We have told her that it would be dangerous to walk in the streets by her own."

"I can't say. Maybe we should ask her?" Donatello suggested and took his shell cell out from his belt. "Come with me."

"Donny, wait a minute," Michelangelo said, looking at his brother with a worrying look in his face. "Shouldn't we wake up the others before we make the same mistake as her? If Rex finds us, she'll make us into turtle kebab."

"I don't disagree with you Mike," Donatello said, rushing out of his workshop with Michelangelo close behind him. "But we don't have the time. As long as Aki remains in the sewers, we can follow her by tracking her with my shell cell, but if she decides to go up, then we won't have many chances to find her again in the streets. Therefore we must follow her at once."

"I thought you would say something along that line," Michelangelo said gloomily as they left the lair.

Fortunately, it turned out to be an easy task. Donatello and Michelangelo walked silently through the corridors of the sewers near their home only a few passages from Aki's position. Donatello's eyes sharpened as turned his head towards his brother.

"She is going topside," Donatello whispered lowly and pointed at the ladder of the end of the tunnel. "We're going up too."

As they crawled up the ladder, Michelangelo couldn't help complaining a bit. "I could have been asleep in my warm bed at this very moment but noooo; I absolutely had to see what was going on in Donny's workshop."

"It is your own fault Mikey," Donatello said while a gentle smile flickered across his face. "But I'm glad you did. It is nice to have company."

Michelangelo growled tiredly as a response and Donatello chuckled lightly. At the top, Donatello slipped noiselessly from the manhole and disappeared into the shadows. Michelangelo quickly placed the cover back on place and headed towards his genius brother with a question gaze.

"Now what?"

Donatello grabbed the first rung of a fire escape ladder and swung himself up. "I don't have Aki's signal anymore which means that the easiest way to track her down is from the roof. We can't stay on street-level anyway. Come on Mike, last one onto the roof hatched from a rotten egg!"

"You're on," Michelangelo smiled and crawled up the fire escape.

"There she is," Donatello said and pointed at the running figure nearby. "We can cut her off at Third and First."

"Wasn't it the place where we fought against The Purple Dragons for the first time?" Michelangelo asked, as he recalled his memories from their first trip to the surface.

"Pretty much," Donatello nodded with a dark look. "Not to mention the Foot."

"Oh, those guys gave me the creeps," Michelangelo exclaimed and shuddered. "If we hadn't escaped that night…"

"We have been lucky many times," Donatello said. "Especially when we are talking about Shredder."

"Good thing he isn't there anymore," Michelangelo remarked.

"I wouldn't be sure about it Mike. We didn't actually see him die when he went down with his ship. He might have survived."

"Great!" Michelangelo commented shortly.

Leaping over crazy gaps, surfing down the edges of building, riding laundry-line like death-slides, they made their way at breakneck speed across the roofs of the city. At the corner of Third and First, they peered down into the street below where Aki had stopped.

"Wow, just looking at this place brings back the memories," Michelangelo sighed and pointed at one of the corners. "I kicked one bad guy there near the corner. Ah, they weren't exactly The Purple Dragons that night."

"What?" Donatello asked confusingly as he didn't quite understand what his brother was referring to.

"They were more like yellow and blue dragons to me," Michelangelo said with a big smile and turned his attention back to Aki. "Hey, what is she doing down there? She has been standing in the alley for several minutes."

"She is looking for something," Donatello said slowly, placing his hand thoughtfully under his cheek. "But why?"

"I have a great idea. Why don't we ask her?" Michelangelo suggested and walked straight to the edge. "I mean, we're friends now, right?"

"Exactly, so why did she feel the need to run away quietly from the lair?" Donatello retorted, looking at his brother with a serious expression in his face. "Maybe there was a reason why she didn't to bother us."

"Where is your conclusion heading at Don?" Michelangelo asked and glanced at him with a confused look. "You were the one who wanted to follow her in the first place. Are you having second thoughts now?"

"No, I haven't," Donatello rejected firmly. "But I don't want to embarrass Aki. We are here to make sure that she will not get hurt. What she is doing here is none of our business."

Immediately as Donatello had spoken a bright smile came into Aki's face. Michelangelo's eyes widened when she walked towards the wall with determent steps. He gasped in shock as she continued walking and went through the wall, disappearing from the alley completely.

"Okay that was weird," Michelangelo said, facing his brother in a joking manner. "You still think that is none of our business?"

"It is only an illusion to make the entrance invisible for the public," Donatello pointed out and went down to the streets. "It is probably some kind of hologram."

"Yeah sure," Michelangelo said and added with a big smile. "You know Donny, if you were able to make holograms in the sewers, we could walk around more freely than we do now."

"No," Donatello said firmly and gave a small shake of his head. "That would never work. Don't you think that I haven't thought about it? I decided to place the heating sensors instead because they were better."

"Why?"

"Look," Donatello said simply, putting his hand through the wall. "The hologram doesn't warn you or protect you from the enemies; it only conceals you in the shadows."

"And it is a bad thing because?" Michelangelo continued. "We're ninjas, and we're supposed to hide in the dark."

"That it correct but if someone found the hole in the wall by an accident, they would start asking questions about who put them there in the first place," Donatello explained. "Then they would search after us and we would have to leave the lair."

"Oh," Michelangelo said, rubbing his hand on his hand. "I hadn't thought about that. I would hate to leave home."

"Me too Mike, me too," Donatello agreed and looked at his brother with a little smile. "You're coming?"

"This is awesome!" Michelangelo burst out happily, as he walked through the hologram. "And it tickles!"

"Wow, take a look at this crazy place," Donatello said in shock with his mouth wide open.

Michelangelo gasped in shock at the sight in front of him. The first thought, which came through his mind, was how Aki deliberately had chosen to walk into this building. The whole place was in a terrible condition and looked miserable. The room was small and dark and there were dust and spider web everywhere. Donatello stepped slowly in the direction of a narrow ram shackled staircase, which was leading up to the next floor.

"What a mess!" Donatello said, while he tried carefully the first step. "The wood is rotten. It wouldn't surprise me if termites have been there too."

"So it is not practically safe, huh?" Michelangelo commented dryly.

"Not in particular," Donatello agreed and went down on his knees, investigating the dust on the first steps. "We have to walk carefully."

"You can't be seriously suggesting that we are going to walk on that thing!" Michelangelo remarked and couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're the brain here Don, so tell me one good reason why I should risk breaking my bones on this."

"Because Aki has gone up the staircase," Donatello replied, as it was enough explanation from his part. "Don't be a chicken Mike. The staircase isn't going to bite you."

"No, but I could fall down," Michelangelo said tartly and started to walk on a few steps.

"I'm right behind you," Donatello said comforting.

Suddenly they heard a terrifying scream from above and a crashing sound came through the entire room. Michelangelo shrieked in shock as he saw two legs falling straight trough the roof, hanging at the ceiling. It was clear to him that it was Aki, who was fighting to stay on the floor above. Donatello pushed his brother further and the two brothers were quickly on the top without any more concerns regarding the rotten staircase.

"Aki, what happened?" Donatello asked frightened, as he placed his hands under her shoulders, pulling her up to safety.

"I was walking around when the floor collapsed," Aki said and looked a bit irritated at the turtle. "It isn't like I'm ungrateful or something but what the hell are you doing here, Donny? How did you found me?"

"We followed you," Michelangelo admitted honestly, as he stepped out from the shadows. "We saw you leaving the lair."

"And why did you?" Donatello asked wonderingly and cast a blaming look at her. "We told you that it was dangerous to be out in the city alone."

Aki didn't give him an answer. Instead she was gazing annoyed at him. "Have I made a mistake? Am I a prisoner or something?"

"No of course not," Michelangelo said without hesitation and added with a faint smile. "You're our guest."

"Then why do I need your permission to leave?" Aki shot back and rose from the floor, dusting the spider webs from her arm.

"Well, you don't," Donatello said and rubbed the back of his head. "But what if Rex showed up and we couldn't help you?"

"You couldn't help me anyway," Aki said shortly. "If Rex attacked us, we wouldn't have a chance to win."

"But you would have a chance to flee from her," Michelangelo put in optimistically. "It works like this: Donatello is always making all kinds of stuff to make us an escape route where Leonardo is perfect to always make a new plan for us. In the meantime, it is my and Raphael's job to distract our enemies. Aki, we work together as a team, but as such we need to trust each other and we have to trust you."

Aki swallowed hardly by his words. "It isn't like I don't trust you, but I couldn't confide to you why I needed to leave the lair. I made a promise long time ago that I wouldn't tell the secret to anyone."

"And you must never break that word of honour," Donatello said seriously and placed his hand on her shoulder. "But we can look after you still even though you won't tell us everything. We also have to trust you."

Aki smiled thankfully and hugged her friends, tightly. Michelangelo gave her a warm smile, which she returned happily. How was it possible to find such wonderful creatures? They didn't blame her that she had kept secrets in the night from them or that she had been leaving the lair without telling them. They only wanted to look after her and protect her from harm. Not even the order of The Five Elements had cared so much about her feelings and her safety. Aki turned her head away from the two brothers so they wouldn't see the small tears of happiness in her face.

"Come, I want to show you something," Aki said and sniffed a little as she removed the tears from her cheeks. "This place was my previous hiding spot."

"Yes, we saw your hologram," Donatello nodded and gave her shoulder a light squeeze in sympathy.

"It isn't exactly the Hilton," Michelangelo remarked and Aki laughed.

The room seemed cold, grey and it was very simple decorated. The only things in here were a small lamp on the floor next to a mattress with a dark blue blanket. Aki walked silently across the floor and stopped. Donatello and Michelangelo watched curiously, as she removed one of the boards. Aki let out a sigh of relief and revealed an old book in her hand.

"I thought that Rex maybe had found it," she explained.

"So this is your big secret?" Michelangelo smiled and laughed. "A book?"

"It contains the history and secret spells of The Five Elements," Aki told them and looked at Donatello. "I can't make the magic potion without it."

"The one, which can take the powers from her?" Donatello asked quietly.

"Exactly," Aki said with a single nod of her head. "This book is very important and is a very sacred item to me."

"Then it is good that Rex hasn't found this place yet," Michelangelo remarked. "Let's go home before something bad happens. We don't want anyone to fall through the floor again."

"Great, but guys I...," Aki started, but trailed off as Donatello shrugged his shoulders in understanding.

"Don't worry about it. We promise that we won't read in the book or anything if you don't leave the lair without telling us, okay?"

"Fine," Aki agreed. "I could also use some help collecting some of the herbs."

They hurried out from the building and continued down the nearest manhole. Aki was aware that she had to tell the others of the clan, what she had been doing in the night, but she knew they would respect her wish as well. They would keep their word of honour and her secrets would be safe.

A/N: Well, the next chapter is going to be fun as Akbot is going to make dinner for the whole group… Hope you liked the chapter and please feel welcome to add a review. I appreciate your opinions.


	15. Akbot

A/N: Hi… I'm back again with a new chapter after almost two busy months. I'm sorry that it has taken so long to get the chapter ready but unfortunately, my studies have taken most of my time. I'm just going to leave a quick "thank you" note to my readers, especially those who were kind enough to leave a review. That would be **Coldsunshin, Akasha, Ramica (Who is the best for helping me with my story) and Anonymous. **It was nice for me to hear that you liked the last chapter and I hope that you will enjoy this one as well…

"Casey hurry up, we're going to be late!" April complained and shot a blaming gaze at the young man in her apartment.

Casey turned short and got a confused expression in his face as he looked down at his new clothes. April had immediately found a nice white shirt and some black pants for him when he walked into her apartment with his ordinary dirty t-shirt. Casey opened one of the buttons on the shirt around his neck whereupon he gave a wild shake of his head.

"I can't breathe in that thing," he said gloomily. "Why did you have to dress me up? I'm not Barbie Ken."

"You don't say," April remarked dryly, closing the button again. "Look we're invited to a nice dinner, so it wouldn't be polite to arrive without some fine clothes."

"Are we talking about the same persons here?" Casey asked, gazing seriously at her. "It is the guys, who have invited us for dinner and not the president."

"Yeah, I know, but they also have a guest down there," April pointed out. "Besides it won't hurt you showing up in a clean shirt."

"Like she would care, she has been living in the sewers for the past days," Casey said sharply. "Not to mention that she is used to see our friends walking butt-naked. Don't tell me that you haven't notice it."

April felt a blush in her cheeks but she didn't move her eyes away from him. "It isn't the same thing and you know it. They are turtles and you're a human. You can't walk around here naked."

Casey began to open his mouth, when he received a stern look from her. "Shut up, Casey!"

Casey shrugged carelessly his shoulders and tried to ignore the feeling that he was being strangled. April smiled warmly as she backed a few steps, inspecting every inch of the young man. He was very handsome and the clothes suited him even if he didn't share the same opinion. Casey was suntanned with his long black hair to his shoulders. April felt the air disappearing from her lungs and couldn't believe how simple clothes were able to change a man so much.

"You look good," she complimented.

"I do?" Casey asked wondering and looked at himself in a mirror.

"Yeah, you do," April nodded confirmingly, placing her hands on his chest. "Just like yesterday."

Casey got a big smile on his lips as he recalled the events of the previous night. Casey had finally found the courage to ask her out on a date. He had never been so nervous before in his life. April smiled warmly as she recalled him bringing flowers to her before they drove to a nice restaurant.

"I must admit that I thought we were going to get pizza or something," April said honestly, caressing softly his chin with two of her fingers. "And I had never expected you to bring me flowers."

"You're a beautiful woman, April," Casey said seriously and kissed gently the back of her hand.

"Why didn't you take me to a pizza place?" April asked and raised one of her eyebrows in wonder. "I mean, you're not the type, who wants to dress up nicely for a dinner."

"True," Casey admitted, nodding his head a bit. "Actually, my favorite pizza place was closed."

"Casey!" April exclaimed, giving him a quick hit on his chest. "You're impossible!"

"Nah," Casey said and smiled a little. "I'm not impossible. I'm just different."

"And that is what I like about you," April smiled, giving him a soft kiss on his lips. "So your favorite place was closed, huh?"

"Yes, it was," Casey replied and looked down at her dark green blouse and black skirt. "You're the one looking good."

"Thanks," April kissed him again before turning away from him. "But there is only one problem."

"What?"

"I know your favorite place," April reminded him as she waited for him to get out of the apartment. "And it was open."

In the meantime, Leonardo and Michelangelo were placing the plates on the dinning room table. Michelangelo was in a cheerful mood, throwing his plates in the air with one hand and seizing them behind his shell with the other one. Michelangelo hummed and made a few dancing steps around the table. Leonardo stopped his movement instantly, looking at his younger brother with a questioning gaze.

"Why the humming Mike?"

"I'm just thinking of a silly song," Michelangelo told him, giving him a bright smile. "That's all."

Leonardo gave a slight resigned shake of his head and placed the last plate on the table, giving his brother a little smile. Michelangelo seized the knives and the forks from one of the kitchen disks while he continued his song. Leonardo looked over his shoulder to face his brother.

"I think I recognize the song," he remarked.

"Maybe you do," Michelangelo said and walked past the door to the big area. "It is from a shampoo commercial. Arrgg!"

Michelangelo played startled at Aki, who walked into the dining room in a beautiful turquoise dress. It was a simple long dress, which showed most of her feminine figures. Leonardo felt the air disappearing from his lungs as he swallowed hard by the sight of her. It looked perfect with her black hair and emerald eyes, which shined of joy as she smiled at their reaction. Michelangelo took a deep breath, before he pointed accusingly at her with a big smile on his face.

"Aki, what are you doing? You almost scared me to death with your beauty. You look like… Oh, you look absolutely amazing, don't you think Leo?" Michelangelo asked, facing his oldest brother with a questioning gaze.

"Yes, you look good Aki," Leonardo stated in a cold tone, trying to keep his calm mind in focus. "It is a nice dress."

"Thanks," Aki responded, but she couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed by his distant behavior.

Aki glanced at the dress, which April had given her along with the other clothes. It had been a long time since Aki had been wearing a fine dress like this one and she had been thrilled when she had found it the same morning. Nevertheless, Aki suddenly felt ashamed by standing in the kitchen in front of Leonardo. She had hoped that she maybe would see a glint of her old friend but he had merely given her a polite compliment and Aki was embarrassed by the situation. Again, she wondered what she had been expecting of him. Why did his words mean so much to her?

"However, it is merely a dinner with our two human friends," Leonardo pointed out in the same cold tone. "Not a fancy party."

Aki felt indignant at the bitterness and carelessness in his voice and her eyes shot back at him. "Indeed, it is true, but April recommended me to wear this dress at the dinner."

"Why?" Leonardo asked wondering.

"She told me that she and Casey were going to have some fine clothes too," Aki said tartly. "Have I done something wrong Leo?"

"No, nothing wrong," Leonardo replied and shrugged his shoulders. "I can't understand why you all are making such a fuss about a silly dinner, when we should concentrate about the real danger here."

"What are you talking about?" Michelangelo asked and stepped towards the refrigerator.

"About Rex of course," Leonardo answered, keeping his eyes on Aki. "We _need_ to focus on her instead of the dinner."

"This is exactly the reason why we need a party," Michelangelo commented dryly as he walked to the refrigerator, seizing a bottle of apple juice. "We ought to have some fun Leo-san. Without some happiness in our lives, then where would it leave us?"

Leonardo gave a resigned shake of his head at his younger brother's words but Aki seemed to agree with Michelangelo. Leonardo noticed the shining glow in her eyes and knew that it was a discussion, which he wouldn't win. It irritated him that Aki took his brother side, not to mention that it had bothered him that she had gone topside without saying anything to him about it.

"Is something wrong Leonardo?" Aki asked concerned as she noticed the bitterness in his face.

Leonardo didn't answer her but grabbed a yellow cloth and turned on the water in the sink. He had been surprised when Michelangelo and Donatello had told him what had happened the previous night. Aki had been sneaking out from the lair, when she thought they were all asleep, and she had returned with an old book, which she refused to show him. Leonardo hated to admit it but it really bothered him that she didn't trust him enough to at least confide herself to him that it was necessary for her to leave the lair. He glanced quickly at her when she was looking at Michelangelo, and he turned his attention back to cleaning the dinner table.

Aki had told them that the book was very sacred to her and Leonardo respected her wish. However, he felt a slight pain in his heart that she wouldn't tell him anything at all. Leonardo sighed deeply and gazed expressionlessly at the table. He realized that he was being unreasonable. They weren't together as a couple and she didn't have to confide anything to him if she didn't want to. It was merely because he cared for her and wanted to be close to her. Well that was an impossible thought.

"Leonardo, are you okay?"

Leonardo felt her comforting hand on his shoulder and turned around in shock. He gasped loudly as she was too close to him. She looked so beautiful that he could sense a strong desire to take her in his arms and hold her tightly, as he would give her a small soft kiss on her lips.

"I'm fine," Leonardo replied hardly and walked back a few steps. "I'm going now... See you at the dinner."

"But…," Aki started to protest, reaching her hand after him. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am," Leonardo said shortly and almost ran away from her, keeping his gaze towards the door.

"What was the matter with him?" Aki said lowly to herself.

"Don't worry Aki. Leo can be in such a mood sometimes," Michelangelo remarked and handed her a bottle of apple juice. "I'm not saying that it is a good thing, but that's life. Leo is obsessed with his ninja training and is always keeping an eye on a future danger or enemy."

"I know Leonardo," Aki said and drank. "I have seen it before Mike. That's not the problem."

"What is the problem then?" Michelangelo asked, leaning back against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest.

"He has changed Mikey," Aki said and placed hand thoughtfully under her chin. "He has been different since I took my shower yesterday."

"Different in what way?" Michelangelo asked again though he had an idea where the conversation was going.

"He has been avoiding me," Aki signed and looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "He doesn't want to talk with me."

Michelangelo swallowed one time and glanced a short moment on the floor. He knew that Leonardo liked Aki more than he was supposed to do. Michelangelo had suspected it as he saw how his oldest brother had reacted when Aki had been poisoned. However, at this point it was obvious that Leonardo was in love with their new friend.

"Aki I know my brother," Michelangelo said and tried to sound confident though he didn't enjoy that he had to hide the truth from her. "It is probably because he is concerned regarding Rex. We haven't heard from her and we don't like when our enemies are silent. It is disturbing."

"Is this the reason why you're trying to be cheerful today?" Aki raising one of her eyebrows in a silent question.

"I don't know what you're referring to," Michelangelo replied and drank the rest of his apple juice. "I'm not pretending."

"Yes, you are," Aki contradicted and got a serious expression in her face. "I can feel sorrow in your heart. Why?"

"How can you know that?" Michelangelo asked in wonder and gave her a big smile. "I have been in a good mood all day."

"So it seems, but I am not convinced," Aki remarked calmly. "I saw the look in your face when Donny carried Akbot inhere."

Michelangelo didn't make a response but turned his head towards the robot, which was standing in the corner of the kitchen. He felt grateful that Donatello hadn't activated it yet because he didn't like the sight of the weird-looking robot. Aki studied his face carefully as she suspected that she had been right in her conclusion. Michelangelo noticed her eyes resting on him and he shrugged quickly his shoulders.

"It isn't a problem," he stated gloomily.

"I don't believe you," Aki said honestly. "Mikey, if you don't like Akbot, then I think that you should tell your brother about it. He will understand it if you confide your truth feelings about this situation."

"No, you're wrong Aki," Michelangelo said, walking to the table with a resigned look in his eyes. "It is you who don't understand. I could never tell Donny that I hate his machine. He loves his work."

"But it is a lifeless thing," Aki pointed out.

"Yeah sure it is, but it doesn't matter. Don't you see? He is a turtle who loves every iron plates, nuts and microchips on this thing. His inventions are his babies if you know what I mean."

"So much, huh?" Aki asked and glanced at the robot.

"I would hurt him if I told him the truth or even worse he would be devastated by hearing it," Michelangelo replied and gave a confirming nod of his head. "Not to mention that it has always been bothering him that he can't cook."

"You want to talk then?"

Michelangelo seemed to consider her offer but gave a silent shake of his head. "It isn't necessary. As I told you, there isn't any problem. The only problem is me for having disbelief with his robot."

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Michelangelo rejected and gave her a stern look.

"Why?" Aki continued asking with a small humorous glint in her eyes. "I'm not going to bite your head off."

"Really?" Michelangelo asked in a friendly manner, but he turned quickly away from her so she wouldn't notice the frustration in his eyes. "It just isn't easy to talk about."

"I know," Aki said in a mild tone and placed her hand on his shoulder. "But my offer still stands if you care to talk, okay?"

"I hate Akbot," he stated calmly and cast a sidelong glance at the robot in the corner. "I really hate that damn thing."

"Why?" Aki asked and gazed worryingly at the orange-masked turtle that normally was looking on the bright side of life.

"Why do you hate Donny's invention?" she repeated when he didn't answer her. "Has it done anything to you?"

"Yeah, it has," Michelangelo said finally after a few moments of deep silence. "It has taken my place."

"What?" Aki asked confused by his answer.

"It has taken my place," Michelangelo said again, pointing at the robot. "It is going to make dinner for us instead of me."

"Oh," Aki exclaimed, realizing what could be the reason of his harsh feelings towards the robot. "You're afraid that it is going to be a success with Akbot, don't you?"

"Exactly," Michelangelo confirmed and walked across the floor, taking the robot's head between his three fingers. "If Akbot can make good food then I'm useless."

"Mike, don't say that!" Aki said sharply. "You're not useless because it turns out that the robot is able to cook. You're special Mikey."

"I thought I was," Michelangelo said and heaved a sigh while sadness appeared in his green face. "I mean, everyone here has their own specialty. Master Splinter is a cool wise ninja master, who knows the secrets of Ninjitsu and the secrets of life. Leonardo is without doubt his best student, our Chunin, and the best fighter I have ever seen. Donatello is an expert with his repairing and weird inventions and stuff. He is a genius when it comes with building things and he makes them work. Raphael, well he is Raphael. The point is that I always believed that I was special with my cooking skills. I found out that I actually enjoyed making food and see the content look in their faces after they were done eating."

Aki swallowed hardly as he told her what had been bothering him about Donny's robot. She couldn't say that she was surprised. She had suspected when she had discovered the hidden pain in his eyes that it had been something, which had troubled him since Donatello had showed him his new invention. Michelangelo was definitely afraid of the robot because he feared that it would eventually replace him as the cook in the small family. Aki noticed the troubled look in his face and took a firm grip in his hand, gazing at him seriously.

"Akbot will _never_ replace you. Mikey, you _are _special and your family knows that. No one is going to deny you to make the food if you enjoy it. Donatello will understand it if you tell him how you feel."

"I can't do that," Michelangelo said quietly. "He loves Akbot. I could never forgive myself if I ruined his evening."

"I didn't tell you to ruin the party," Aki reminded him softly and gave him a little smile. "Let's see how the evening goes, okay? Let Akbot make the dinner tonight and enjoy the party instead of these negative feelings. After the party is over then you tell Donny about your true opinion of his robot."

"He will be disappointed," Michelangelo said sadly.

"He might," Aki agreed and looked intensely at him. "But he will understand."

"Thanks Aki," Michelangelo said gratefully and gave her a warm hug.

"You're welcome," Aki smiled.

"Come on, let's party then!" Michelangelo said loudly and was again in his cheerful mood.

Aki looked at him and felt relaxed. Though Michelangelo had been troubled with his harsh feelings towards Akbot, he was now gazing at her with a big smile and a happy expression in his face. However, Aki could help feeling a bit concerned about the events of the evening, not because of Michelangelo but because of Akbot. She glanced at the robot and took a deep breath. Something had to be done, something she didn't want to do.

"It is good to see you Miss O'Neil and Mr. Jones," Master Splinter greeted warmly and walked towards their two human friends who stepped into the lair.

"It is good to see you too, Master Splinter," April said and gave him a wry smile as she shot a blaming look at Casey. "I'm sorry that we're late."

"It was not my fault," Casey claimed wildly.

"Are we supposed to believe that?" Raphael remarked tartly and jumped down from the upper level of the lair to hug his friend. "Casey my man, what are you doing in that silly outfit?"

"Ask her," Casey said and nodded in the direction of April who was talking with the old rat. "She told me that it was a fine and important dinner."

"It is just family," Raphael said and looked strangely at him. "Wait a minute. How did April convince you?"

All of sudden Casey felt insecure and laughed nervously. He and April hadn't actually decided when they should tell their friends that they had been out on a date. Casey tried to catch April's eyes but she was too busy talking with Splinter that she didn't saw the desperate look in his face. Raphael was still starring at his friend, waiting for a response.

"Hmm, she can be a really pain in the neck sometimes if I don't agree with her," Casey said simply. "I didn't want to argue with her."

Raphael noticed that Casey felt uncomfortable with his question and he wondered inside why his human friend suddenly avoided looking him in the eyes. Raphael considered asking Casey even more questions to find out what was the matter with him because it had definitely something to do with him and April but they were interrupted before he got the time to continue his questioning.

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to our home," a mechanical hoarse voice, sounded in the lair.

Everybody turned immediately at the strange noise and glanced at the Akbot who was standing in front of them. Casey and April's eyes widened at the sight, as they had never seen Akbot before even though Donatello had told April about his new invention. Donatello came out from behind; his eyes were shining with pride, as he walked towards them.

"Isn't he beautiful?" he asked them happily and pointed at his work. "And he is ready to make some great dinner."

"He is something special all right," Casey agreed and gave the genius turtle a wry smile. "What can this robot make Don?"

"I'll show you once we get to the table," Donatello said, looking at Master Splinter. "Michelangelo and Aki are waiting for us in the kitchen. Where is Leonardo?"

"I don't know my son," Master Splinter replied in sad tone. "I haven't seen him since this morning."

"I saw him. He was walking straight to the dojo with a moody look in his face. It was even worse than normal," Raphael pointed out dryly, gazing at Master Splinter with a dark look. "I'll get him."

"Be careful, Raphael," Master Splinter said seriously as he noticed the gloomy expression in his son's face. "I don't want you to fight your brother. This is a party of celebration."

"Sure," Raphael commented shortly and gave a little reassuring smile to convince his father that he wouldn't make any trouble.

Master Splinter gave a resigned shake of his head and took a firm grip around his cane. The old rat was worried about his eldest son. As he walked with the others towards the kitchen, he wondered if he had done the right thing to tell Leonardo to stay away from the young woman. Splinter closed his eyes a brief moment and glanced at Aki, who was sitting next to Michelangelo. Master Splinter could perfectly understand why Leonardo had fallen in love with her but he had decided from the beginning that it would be dangerous to the clan if they had a relationship. They would hurt each other and the clan in the process. As the Jonin of this clan, he couldn't allow it to happen.

"Hi April and Case, it is good to see you again," Michelangelo greeted and waved from his seat.

Master Splinter didn't say a word when he arrived in the kitchen. He was lost in thoughts as he considered the consequences of his talk with Leonardo. Somehow, it seemed like an awful mistake. The sadness and deep sorrow in his son's face, when he was gazing at the young woman, was unbearable to watch for a father's heart. Splinter couldn't help being concerned about it. His prohibition had been the best for the clan he knew it in his heart. Nevertheless, the old rat felt like he was losing his eldest son for the sake of the clan. Was it a price, which he was willing to pay?

Raphael sighed, contemplating on whether he should go to find Leonardo in the dojo or not. As he thought about it, he wasn't the right person to get Leonardo out from the training room. Hell, it was very rarely they ever found common ground on anything. It seemed like every time they tried to talk, they ended up butting heads. Why would Leonardo listen to him now?

He walked slowly into the dojo and stopped just inside the doorway. His brother was sitting cross-legged on the floor. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady. Raphael suspected he was meditating.

"What are you doing here Raph?" Leonardo's voice came quietly.

His brother's voice startled him for a moment, and then he grunted. Leo had opened his eyes, and was now regarding him with a stern, admonishing gaze, waiting for his response. Raphael met it with a slightly irritated expression of his own, leaning a bit on the doorjamb.

"If you haven't notice, we have a party going on with our friends," Raphael remarked tartly.

Raphael didn't try to hide the blaming tone in his voice because it had bothered him a great deal that his older brother had been reacting like a child the past few days. Leonardo removed himself from his position, and stood up fully, walking over to his brother. He stopped within a few feet of him, still staring cold into his eyes.

"I don't want to join the party," Leonardo replied hardly. "We should rather be planning our next move against Rex instead of…."

"Having some fun?" Raphael interrupted sharply. "Leo, this isn't about Rex. Even I know that for a fact."

"Then why are we celebrating?" Leonardo shot back. "We should worry about our enemy…."

"No, we should worry about you," Raphael contradicted and pointed irritated at his brother. "The others are worrying sick about you Leo. You have been avoiding us most of the day. Not that I really care much about it, but you could at least tell us what is bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me," Leonardo claimed.

"Then why won't you join us?" Raphael remarked.

"Because…," Leonardo trailed off, as he knew that his brother wouldn't accept his excuses. Raphael wasn't stupid.

"Okay, I'll come," Leonardo finally managed to say after a few seconds of silence.

"Fine," Raphael nodded and gave his brother a questioning gaze. "You're still not going to tell me what is bothering you?"

"As I told you before, nothing is bothering me," Leonardo said and walked quickly pass his younger brother.

"I don't believe you," Raphael said harshly and grabbed his arm before he got the time to move away from him. "Leo, I'm warning you. You'll better start to talk with us or…"

"No, I'm warning _you_ Raph," Leonardo said sharply and removed his brother's hand from his arm. "I don't want to talk about it, so back off!"

Raphael growled in frustration at his brother's repeated stubborn evasion to talk, clenching and unclenching his hands. Leonardo didn't turn his face away from him. He had enough of this questioning from Raph and won't put up with his rudeness. Raph met his expression with irritation written all over his face.

"Guys what the hell are you doing? Stop it!" a voice commanded them.

Both turtles stopped starring at one another and turned their attention to the entrance where Aki was standing. She quickly moved in between the two furious brothers with a blaming expression in her face. It probably wasn't exactly the smartest move on her part. Donatello and Michelangelo had confided her that it common that the two brothers didn't get along, but she had to break them up before the fight became physical. Leonardo stepped back slightly in a neutral stance, but his eyes never left Raph's face.

"Just calm down, will you?" Aki told them firmly. "There is absolutely no reason to fight, right?"

Her emerald eyes seemed to go through his soul like an arrow hitting its target, and Leonardo couldn't face her. He felt ashamed that she had seen him getting so angry with his brother. The last thing he wanted was to give her a bad expression of him.

"No, there isn't," Leonardo said quietly and looked at his younger brother. "I'm sorry Raph. I didn't mean to get so angry with you."

"I don't believe that either," Raphael said and ignored the harsh look from Aki. "Cut the crap! You were angry to begin with for some reason. I don't know why you're behaving like a loony but we are your brothers, Leo, your family. We deserve to know what is going on with you."

Without any more words, he walked away from his brother to join the party. Aki glanced questioning at Leonardo but he merely shook rejecting his head. He wasn't going to tell her what the matter with him was. He would never tell her. If he told her about his deep emotions for her, it could destroy him. He knew that it would be hard for him living side by side with her but it was better not knowing if she loved him or not. Leonardo felt like crying when he was walking with her towards the kitchen. A human could never love a turtle.

"Hi guys, it is good to see you," Donatello greeted with a happy smile in his face. "Akbot is ready to take your orders."

"I'm ready to take your orders," Akbot agreed with his mechanical voice and Michelangelo waved at the robot to come closer.

"I believe that we are all ready to try this new invention of yours my son," Master Splinter said mildly and looked at his family. "It is nice to see our old friends be with us and share the warm welcome of a new one."

A smile flickered across Aki's face when the old rat mentioned her, and Master Splinter nodded confirmingly. "It is a joy to find that the woman had agreed to keep our secret and remain our friend in our time of need. Our enemy has been silent and it has worried us all, especially Leonardo."

Leonardo gave a little smile when he heard his father talk about Rex. It was good to know that his Master also believed that it was important to keep their focus on their enemy. Meanwhile Splinter was talking; Michelangelo was giving his orders to Akbot, who was writing his wish on a slip of paper.

"I want a great pizza with a large think crust with double cheese, sausage, onions, pepperoni, ham…"

"Therefore I must say that you have to practise more of the art of Ninjitsu than ever…," Master Splinter continued but was interrupted by Michelangelo.

"Yeah, put some of those too, but no anchovies and I mean no anchovies," Michelangelo warned the robot. "If you put anchovies on this thing, then I'm going to use you as my new punch bag with my nunchakus."

"Michelangelo!" Master Splinter said sharply and slammed his cane on the table.

"Sorry Master, I was hungry," Michelangelo apologized.

"You must listen to me my sons, because this is important. You must practice the art of invisibility and practise your moves very slowly to execute them with great speed. Your weapons are an extension of you – match them to your needs and never forget that you mustn't underestimate your enemy."

"That means more training, right?" Michelangelo said and took a deep breath, when he saw the look in his father's face. "Yeah, thought so."

"But don't think about it now my son," Master Splinter said calmly and smiled. "Because it is time to enjoy the company of our guests. Akbot, come here."

"What do you want for dinner, Master Splinter?" the robot asked friendly with his pencil ready.

"I want a nice soup with fresh vegetables," the old rat ordered, and the robot continued to Michelangelo.

"What about you?"

"Are you kidding?" Michelangelo asked in wonder. "I ordered a pizza only a few minutes ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Akbot apologized sadly and continued.

Donatello and Raphael were quickly to ask for a pizza and the robot walked towards Aki. "What about you, young lady?"

"I want rice and fish with a fresh salad," Aki ordered with a smile.

"You're not in the mood for a pizza, huh Aki?" Donatello remarked with a little smile. "Not that is matters. Akbot can make everything you want to eat."

"Michelangelo told me that you eat pizzas most of the time," Aki told him.

"Pizza is good," Raphael nodded. "But I have to admit that I also like to eat cereal. It is my favourite food."

"I like a good beef," Casey said and looked at Akbot, who was writing April's order down on the paper. "Yo, Star Treck robot! You can write that down for me. I would like a beef with warm potatoes."

"Yes Sir," Akbot said and turned to Leonardo. "What about you?"

"I want the same as Aki," Leonardo replied.

"What?" Michelangelo exclaimed and his eyes widened. "You don't want any pizza Leo?"

"Not right now, no," Leonardo said simply.

"Good, I'm going to make the dinner for you now," Akbot declared.

"Could you also make a chocolate cake?" April asked and looked at the others. "Wouldn't it be nice with a dessert?"

They all nodded in agreement and Akbot wrote the order down on the paper. April began to talk with Casey and Master Splinter, while Donatello began to explain Raphael about some of his new ideas about some weapons they could use against Rex. Leonardo listened carefully to his brother's suggestion, while Aki noticed the sad look in Michelangelo's face who sat next to her.

"Didn't we agreed to be positive, Mike?" Aki asked friendly.

"Yeah, but Akbot is doing fine nevertheless," Michelangelo said and sighed. "I'm done as a cook."

"It is only a machine," Aki remarked lowly.

"What do you mean?" Michelangelo asked confused.

"Nothing, you'll see," Aki said and turned to talk with Leonardo.

Master Splinter saw the young woman talking to his oldest son and he sighed. He could see the happiness shine in Leonardo's face as he gazed at the woman, who he loved so much. Master Splinter swallowed hardly as he thought about what he should do. Would it even be possible to prevent Leonardo from getting hurt by Aki?

Donatello noticed the same thing as his father. However, he wasn't concerned and he tried to hide a smile. Donatello couldn't claim that he was an expert on the subject of love but he wasn't blind. He had seen the same thing as Michelangelo and his father that Leonardo was having deep emotions for Aki, but he could see something more. Something in her eyes….

"Donny, come back to the world," Raphael said and waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Where are you brother?"

"I'm sorry Raph. I got lost in thoughts," Donatello admitted and removed his gaze from his oldest brother. "What were you saying?"

"I told you what happened in the dojo," Raphael reminded him while he gave a resigned shake of his head. "I don't know why Leonardo is behaving like he does, but I'm concerned about him."

"I know," Donatello nodded. "But you know what is wrong with him."

"No, I don't," Raphael protested.

"Yes, you do," Donatello said and pointed in Leonardo's direction. "But can you accept it?"

Raphael didn't know what he should say about it. He didn't even need to look at his brother to realize that he was talking with Aki. Donatello was right that he knew it, but could he accept it? Raphael cast his mind back to his fight with Aki in the dojo. Had he been blind or had something happened between them? Raphael looked down at his hands and sighed. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Leonardo because it was obvious to everyone that he loved Aki even though he wouldn't admit it to either of them.

"Dinner is ready," Akbot pronounced and came with pizzas in his hands.

Michelangelo licked his mouth as he looked forward to eat his pizza. Akbot started to hand over the pizzas to Raphael and Donatello who seized their forks and knives. Normally they wouldn't use them because they could eat the pizzas without ones, but this party was a special occasion. Akbot continued to Michelangelo and placed the pizza in front of him.

"What is this?" Michelangelo burst out disappointed as he looked down at his pizza. "You have given me anchovies!"

"Yes, you wanted only anchovies on your pizza," Akbot remarked and continued to get the other plates.

"Are you profoundly deaf or something?" Michelangelo asked and rose to his feet and followed the robot. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Michelangelo sit down now!" Master Splinter commanded and pointed at his seat. "Let Akbot get finish and then you can complain to him."

"Yes Master Splinter," Michelangelo said but he wasn't happy about it. "That stupid robot!"

"Akbot isn't stupid," Donatello protested. "He has only made one mistake."

"Make that two Don," Raphael remarked with a wry smile, as he slammed the pizza hardly on the table. "Because my pizza is made of rock."

"Uhh, this isn't supposed to happen," Donatello said and rose from his chair. "I'm sorry everybody. I'm going to see what has happened with Akbot."

"The chocolate cake is finished," Akbot's voice sounded in the kitchen and April shrieked.

The robot threw the chocolate cake directly at her and Casey moved quickly to protect her but it was too late. April looked down at her dark green blouse and black skirt in shock. Her new clothes were covered with brown chocolate and her gaze shot angrily at Donatello.

"Donny!"

"One moment," Donatello said and hurried to Akbot, who was trying to get away from him.

"Need to make dinner, need to make dinner," he repeated constantly, as he ran around the table.

"What is happening?" Aki asked and ducked quickly from a fish, which Akbot was throwing towards her. "He has gone crazy!"

"Not for long," Raphael said coldly and threw his Sais at Akbot' head, which flew away from his body and against the wall.

Now that the robot was unable to see anything, it didn't know where to go and ran continuously into the wall. Michelangelo, who had been trying not to laugh the whole time, started chuckling at the weird robot. Donatello looked irritated at his younger brother, when he stopped Akbot's movement with a single push on a red bottom on its' back.

"Mike, it isn't funny," Donatello snapped and opened the iron plate on Akbot's stomach.

"No, you're right Donny, it's hilarious," Michelangelo said and couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm going to wash this off," April said and rose from the table. "If you'll excuse me."

"Off course Miss. O'Neil," Master Splinter said and looked sharply at Michelangelo. "That is enough my son."

"Sorry Master, but it was funny," Michelangelo said with his voice full of joy. "When Raph hit the head and Akbot couldn't see anything hi hi… Oh, what a sight!"

"But I don't understand it," Donatello said. "There was nothing wrong with him this morning."

"Sometimes it can go wrong Don," Leonardo said and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It isn't your fault."

"Yes it is," Donatello said and heaved a sigh. "I was sure that he would work."

"Maybe he had inherited your cooking skills," Raphael suggested and collected his Sais from the floor.

"However, the robot was acting crazy. I'm going to see how April is doing," Casey said and moved from the table.

"You'll better realize that a machine never can replace a real cook," Michelangelo said and looked at his genius brother with real sympathy in his eyes. "Though I'm sorry that it didn't work out the way, it should have done."

"Thanks Mike," Donatello said and looked at Leonardo. "Could you get some of my tools?"

"Yeah sure," Leonardo nodded and left them.

"Meanwhile I'm going to make some dinner for us," Michelangelo said and seized some of the ingredients on the table. "We won't let a little accident stop us, won't we?"

"No, but it is weird though," Donatello said and showed them the gadget which he had showed some of them in the living room the previous day. "This is an electronically device which controlled and transferred the electronic impulses in Akbot's mechanical body. I had placed some computer chips to receive the information which we were giving him."

"Then what is the problem my son?" Master Splinter said worryingly.

"This device was removed from its' place Master," Donatello said, while he turned the gadget around in his hands. "This is the reason why he was acting crazy."

"What did you say?" Michelangelo said quietly and looked at the purple-masked turtle with confusion in his eyes.

"It seems like the device has been removed, but I don't know how," Donatello said and placed his hand thoughtfully under his chin. "I had firmly placed it so it wouldn't get loose unless he got a great push or something."

Michelangelo laid the tomato in his hand back on the table, gazing at Aki above his shoulder. She returned his look with a mysterious smile, which said it all. Michelangelo had confide to her that he hated Akbot for taking his place as the cook for the clan and he realized that it had been her who had destroyed Donatello's robot. He knew that it was wrong, but he smiled gratefully back to her and she understood him.

A/N: This was the last relaxing chapter. The next chapter takes place about three weeks after Akbot made dinner for the group. Something is going to change through the next chapters and Rex is soon going to appear. It won't be a good thing that's for sure. Please share your opinions with me. It is nice to know what you think about the story so far. Until next time, take care…


	16. Power of intention

A/N: Hey everyone… I'm back with a new chapter in the story of Rex and I'm thrilled that I had the time. Things are going to change throughout the next chapters :) I just want to add a big thank you to the readers, in particular the one, who shared an opinions with me. It is nice for me as a writer to know what you think of the chapters. This person was **Ramica (A special person, who is helping me with my story. Thanks!). **Enjoy the story…

Aki yawned as she looked down on the small table in Leonardo's room. It had been a very long night and she was tired. She glanced at the small bottles, which contained most of the herbs, which she was going to use to make the magic potion.

"Sometimes the potions are more powerful than the magic itself," Aki mumbled, as she remembered what the Element of Water had told her the evening before Rex murdered her.

Aki gave a single nod of her head as she seized the bowl with clean water. Casey had helped her with getting the water because it had to come from a spring near a mountainside. In the last three weeks they had been collected the different ingredients, which she needed. She had planned everything. Casey had to borrow the Battle Shell from the turtles and Aki would join him with the old book in her hand. Most of the herbs existed in the nature far away from the streets of New York. Aki smiled slightly as she remembered Leonardo's reaction, when she had told him about her trip to the mountains…

"_You're not going alone!" he had burst out in a sharp tone. "As far as we know, Rex is still out there and it is dangerous for you to be alone."_

"_I'm not alone," Aki pointed out calmly. "Casey is with me."_

"_You know Rex's magical powers," Leonardo reminded her and looked frustrated at her. "Do you really believe that he stands a chance against her when we couldn't take her?"_

"_That is exactly my point!" Aki said and prickled her finger on his plastron. "I know that you're only thinking on my safety Leo, but you can't protect me. If Rex discovers me then it wouldn't change the fact if you joined us or not. She would still kill you."_

"_It changes everything," Leonardo contradicted. "You stand a better chance against her if we are there to protect you. A Chinese motto says that you can break one branch easily but breaking two is much harder."_

"_And what about fact that you could be seen by humans?" Aki asked loudly because it irritated her that he wasn't going to let her without their protection. "What about your protection? You can't reveal yourselves to the surface above, and you know that, Leo."_

"_We could travel before dawn," Leonardo suggested. "Then no one would see us. There aren't many humans near the mountains and the forests. We can hear them and hide from them several minutes before they would even notice us. We have been trained to be invisible."_

"_I can take care of myself," Aki said but her defences were breaking down. "I survived Rex before you were there."_

"_I'm aware of it," Leonardo nodded and gave her a friendly smile, which she hasn't seen for several days. "But we would follow you nonetheless. You are our friend, Aki, and we protect our friends."_

Aki shook her head, as she looked distracted at a bottle with blue water inside. They had agreed the same afternoon to leave the next day before dawn, and Aki had to admit later that it was nice to have the four brothers with her on the way to the mountains. She knew that it was a fake feeling of safety – after all Rex could kill them on the spot, if they were discovered – but she felt safe when she was with them.

Michelangelo had been telling them jokes all the time, while Donatello had been busy with some drawings. Casey had been driving in case so no one would suspect the Battle Shell more than it already was. Aki had been sitting next to Casey, but sometimes she would gaze behind over her shoulder at Raphael or Leonardo, who was quiet most of the trip.

"They were acting strange," Aki mumbled thoughtfully, as she seized some of the nightshade in a small bowl. "Even when we were collecting the last herbs, they didn't say a word."

As she thought about it, she knew that something was going on between them. There had been evenings where they had argued wildly and shouted at each other. Sometimes it had even come to a violent fight where Splinter hadn't been fast enough to split them apart. The worst part of it was that she was feeling that the whole family was keeping a secret from her. She didn't know why. She had looked at Michelangelo, which confidence she had gained with the incident with Akbot, but he had merely shook his head. This wasn't the time to ask any questions.

"Auw!" a voice suddenly shouted behind the door.

Aki stopped her movement and placed the nightshade back on the table, as she gazed confused at the door. Was she imagining things? Aki moved her face away to glance at the small clock on the nightstand. It wasn't even dawn yet. As far as she knew, everyone was asleep. Aki shrugged her shoulders, removing the suspension from her mind. Maybe it had been one of the turtles, who were heading for the toilet.

"Shh Mike, Aki is sleeping," Raphael's voice sounded harshly, even though she could barely hear him. "Jeez!"

"I'm sorry Raph, it wasn't my intention," Michelangelo apologized. "Maybe she didn't hear me."

"But she will hear you, if you don't shut up," Leonardo said sharply but kept his voice in a low tone. "Please be quiet!"

"Sorry," Michelangelo said again.

Aki raised one of her eyebrows when she heard them talking outside the door. She hadn't heard Donatello say anything, but he was probably with his brothers. Donatello was never the one to raise his voice if it wasn't necessary. Aki faced the table with her arms thoughtfully crossed as she wondered what the turtles were going. They shouldn't be awake.

Aki placed her ear carefully to the door but she couldn't hear anything. Her hand opened slowly the door as she was trying to prevent any noise to alarm the turtles that she wasn't asleep. She noticed that they had stopped at the small bridge as if they were waiting. Aki quickly stepped towards one of the pillars. It had been a good hiding spot before.

"Can we talk here, great leader?" Raphael asked sarcastically.

"Sure you can Raph," Leonardo said coldly, and Aki imagined that the blue-masked turtle was giving his younger brother an annoyed, but stern look. "If you can manage to keep your voice down."

"It wasn't me who was clumsy up there," Raphael remarked tartly. "So you're not entitled to tell me what to do."

"Actually I am," Leonardo said firmly. "As your Chunin I'm entitled to give you orders."

"Not stupid orders you don't," Raphael contradicted. "I told Mike to keep his mouth shut. Why in the hell did you have to interfere?"

"Guys, guys," Donatello pleaded and stepped between his two brothers. "Take it easy, will you! Splinter is going to be furious if you're getting into a fight again."

Raphael turned and stared at Donatello as if he was determining whether he was more interested in fighting with him or Leonardo. He turned his attention back to his oldest brother and pointed threatening his finger at him.

"Leo, I'll…"

"Raphael put that finger down," Master Splinter ordered and looked at his angry son with a serious expression in his face. "Do it now!"

"He started it," Raphael growled but moved himself a few steps away from Leonardo.

"I don't care who started it. I'm finishing it," Splinter said and passed his sons on the way to the dojo. "Come with me, my sons."

Aki remembered three weeks back that Splinter had mentioned to his sons that they were going to have more training to prepare them to the coming battle with Rex. Aki had seen the turtles walking to the dojo in the middle of the day and sometimes in the afternoon but she hadn't known that they furthermore had been training their exercises in the early mornings.

All of a sudden, she felt curious. She had never seen the turtles train with each other. She knew that it was a thing they wanted to have mainly in privacy and therefore she had been in the living room, watching TV, while they decided to train in the dojo.

At this point, she felt her heart beating faster by the thought of watching them as they practiced the art of Ninjitsu. She had heard a little in her childhood about the glory of the ninjas, and she felt a desire to see how the turtles were trained by Master Splinter. Aki saw the turtles go though the doorway with the old rat behind them. Splinter stopped his movement and looked quickly above his shoulder, before Aki got the time to hide from him.

"You're welcome to be present at our training lessons, Aki," Master Splinter said with a friendly smile.

Aki blushed in embarrassment, as she felt like a little girl, busted in stealing candy or something. "Are you sure, Master Splinter?"

"Indeed my young woman," Master Splinter nodded and added with a wry smile in his face. "I think that these lessons maybe will teach you something which can help you controlling your powers a little more."

Aki looked confused at the old rat, but he had already turned his back her, well knowing that she would follow him. When Aki entered the room, she could see the four brothers sitting cross-legged on the mats without saying any words. Splinter waited patiently until she was sitting on the floor next to Donatello who was looking at her with a big welcoming smile in his face. Michelangelo waved a little with his hand to greet her, while Leonardo gave her a questioning gaze. She smiled a little in response and faced Raphael, who seemed irritated at her presence. Aki looked down at the floor and held back a sigh. Maybe he was annoyed at her because he had blamed Michelangelo to be quiet for no reason at all.

"Aki has decided to join one of our lesson my sons," Master Splinter told them seriously. "I wanted to train some special lessons with you, but first you need to warm up. I will be helping Aki. You know what to do."

"Yes Sensei," they all chorused and rose from the floor.

"Come Aki, let me show you some moves," Splinter said with a warm smile, guiding her to the middle of the room.

The turtles began doing a series of warm-up exercises, also known as katas. They practiced these katas in each corner of the dojo, while Splinter explained to Aki some simple moves. It continued for fifteen minutes until the sensei called his students.

"_Yami_!" he ordered.

They stopped immediately their movements and walked near their sensei, until they stood in a line before him, bowing respectfully. Aki looked at the turtles and quickly followed their example. Master Splinter smiled and returned the bows with his own, and then bade them to sit down. They returned to the cross-legged position on the floor, waiting attentively to learn of the morning day's lesson from Splinter.

"This morning you will apply your skills of the power of intention," he explained. "It is one of the important lessons in the art of Ninjitsu because you need to feel your opponent getting close to you. It can warn you from being ambushed by an opponent and it also trains your mind and concentration."

"It is important to stay alert," he continued and gave a stern look. "It is a skill which could turn a fight to your advantage. I want you to show Aki what I'm referring to. Are we clear?"

"_Hai, _Sensei," they replied.

"Good," he answered and turned his attention to the young woman. "Come with me Aki, and watch, while I shall explain to you why I want you to train the power of intention with my sons."

"What do you mean, Master Splinter?" Aki asked wondering as she placed herself next to the old ninja master.

"It is sometimes possible for the trained warrior to sense the power of intention from another person."

"I don't understand," Aki said confused.

"Let me explain it," Master Splinter said kindly and seized her hand. The old rat placed his hand a few inches above her own and looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Can you sense my hand?"

"What?" Aki asked and raised her eyebrows as she was getting more confused by his words.

"Can you feel that my hand is above your own?"

"No," Aki replied honestly.

"I want you to learn how you can feel my hand and sense my movements, when I'm near you," Master Splinter explained. "This skill is important when you fight, but it can also help you regarding your magic abilities. Magic needs much concentration and learning the power of intention will help you controlling your mind."

"It sounds good, Master Splinter," Aki said but added thoughtfully after a few seconds. "But how could I ever learn that?"

"Watch my sons," the old rat said simply and turned his face towards his sons, who were waiting for his next orders. "Leonardo, you'll be the attacker."

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo responded and walked to the middle of the floor.

His brothers went to their oldest brother, but they passed him to make a circle around him with their shell turned back at Leonardo. Aki watched carefully the whole scene because she knew that she would soon join the four brothers. Master Splinter placed his hands on his cane and pointed at Leonardo, as he was going to explain what Leonardo was doing.

"Leonardo is the attacker who decides which one of my sons who is going to be the victim. Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael are keeping their eyes closed, because they shall sense Leonardo coming near them. Leonardo shall intensely concentrate on sneaking closer to his victim from behind, and then he shall raise his hands a few inches from the victim's neck as if he was going to strangle him. It is up to my sons to sense his intention."

As Master Splinter explained, what his lesson was about, Leonardo decided that Donatello was going to be his first victim. Aki noticed that Leonardo eyes were concentrated and focused on his target as he was trying to send his signals to his younger brother that he was going to attack him. Leonardo raised his hands near Donatello's neck, and the purple-masked turtle slowly raised his hand to touch Leonardo's fingers.

"If the victim can sense the attacker like Donatello did with Leonardo, he then raises his hand to indicate that he can sense the power of intention from his brother. When he touches Leonardo's fingers, he knows that he has been correct in his conclusion. Therefore Leonardo must start from the beginning selecting a new victim."

In the meantime, as the old rat spoke to her, Michelangelo raised his hand to his neck. Unfortunately, Leonardo had put his hands near Raphael's neck. The turtle with the red bandana touched his brother's fingers lightly, but there was no question that Michelangelo had made a mistake. Master Splinter gave a small shake of his head before turning his attention to the young woman.

"If the victim thinks that he is feeling something and raises his hand without touching any fingers, he knows that he has made a mistake, and then lower his hand. Because he couldn't sense the attacker on the right time, it is Michelangelo's turn to become the attacker instead of Leonardo."

Aki nodded, as she understood his explanation. However, she had a bad feeling about joining the brothers in their lesson. She couldn't imagine how she was going to learn the power of intention. Michelangelo tried to attack Raphael, but he didn't succeed. Then he tried with Leonardo, even though he knew that it wasn't going to work. Leonardo raised his hand exactly as Michelangelo's hands came close to his neck.

"Are you willing to try Aki?" Master Splinter asked, looking curious at the young woman, who was starring nervously at his sons. "It isn't dangerous."

"I know," Aki answered and swallowed. "But I can never learn that. Your sons are trained ninjas and I'm not."

"That is correct," Master Splinter said and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "But on every path you must take your first step."

"Yeah...," Aki remarked and sighed deeply. "Okay, I'll try."

Michelangelo stopped and waited patiently while Donatello stepped aside to make room for her. Donatello squeezed her shoulder lightly with his hand, before he turned his face away from her. Aki took a deep breath as she tried to prepare herself for the upcoming test. However, she couldn't help feeling a bit uncertain about the situation. She knew that Michelangelo had selected a victim, but she had a constant feeling that she was the target. Aki bither bottom lip nervously, as she waited for her "attacker".

Master Splinter stood silently a few steps from the circle as he watched the scene carefully with his eyes of wisdom. He could easily sense the nervous tensions around Aki's person, but it was a normal reaction. A little smile flickered across the old rat's face as he recalled the time where he had introduced the power of intention to his students. They had also been constantly on guard, because they expected to be the first victim. Their skills had improved greatly since then, especially Leonardo, who almost didn't fail when they made the exercise.

Master Splinter studied Aki's face when Michelangelo decided to try Raphael as his new victim. Splinter was glad that Michelangelo had been wise enough to avoid Aki in the first round. It was important to notice her reaction. If she raised her hand in the beginning, it would show Master Splinter that Aki wasn't in control of her emotions or her mind. As an old ninja master, Splinter had seen magic before, and it was clear to him that it was important to be in control of the mind to fully possess the power of magic.

Raphael kept his mind clear of thoughts as he sensed his younger brother's presence. A big smirk flickered in his face, as he could almost see Michelangelo with a look of expectancy in his face. His brother obviously thought that he would fool him, but Raphael was well skilled in sensing his intentions. As Michelangelo placed his hands near his neck, Raphael raised his hand to touch his fingers.

"Try another person Mike," Raphael advised dryly and turned around to face his brother. "Because I could sense you a mile away from me. It seems like you have to try again as always."

"Ha ha, funny Raph," Michelangelo remarked tartly and nodded in the other direction. "But I'm not the next attacker. Aki raised her hand."

Everybody turned their bodies to look at the young woman, who slowly lowered her hand to her waist. She felt a slight blush in her cheeks, as she realized that she had made a mistake in sensing Michelangelo. She swallowed hardly and turned her attention to Master Splinter, who was watching her silently with an expressionless look.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she apologized and felt embarrassed that she had failed the test. "I was convinced that he was going after me."

"Surely you were my child," Master Splinter said with a warm glint in his eyes. "You were nervous and felt therefore his presence all around you. My sons weren't better in their first attempt, so don't be sorry. I didn't expect you to do well on the first round. After all you haven't tried this before."

"I'm not sure, how I should do it," Aki admitted honestly. "I don't know how to sense the presence."

"It isn't a skill, which I can teach you in a single lesson," Master Splinter reminded her seriously.

"Yeah, even I and my brothers can fail sometimes," Donatello added and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It is only Leonardo at this point, who can sense us every time."

"A ninja have to practice his Ninjitsu skills every day. It is important to know that you can never reach your limits. A ninja's training continues throughout his life as the air he breathes," Master Splinter said and looked at Leonardo. "Though my son has learned to sense the power of intention, he knows that he has to keep training his skill to make sure that it won't disappear."

"Yes Sensei," Leonardo responded and bowed to his father.

"Now let switch places," Michelangelo said eagerly.

"Maybe you can do a better job than he does," Raphael remarked and grinned.

"Hey!" Michelangelo complained offended, but he knew his brother was kidding.

Aki smiled because she knew that Michelangelo had done the right thing. She had to think intensive on her attack, so her victim would be able to sense her intention. Master Splinter retreated to his previous position to watch over the new circle. Somehow, he couldn't wait to see, whom she was going to choose as her victim.

"Begin," Master Splinter commanded.

Aki turned slowly in the middle at the small circle, as she considered, which turtle she was going to attack. Somehow, she knew that Michelangelo would be the easiest target, but she suspected that he was used to be picked as the victim and therefore it didn't felt like the right thing to do. She looked quietly at their shells and suddenly she knew who was going to be her victim. Master Splinter studied her face carefully and smiled a little at her decision. It was a tough choice, but it wasn't impossible that she could make it.

Leonardo felt tensed, as he felt somebody near him. Leonardo was strong in sensing people around him and even though Aki was inexperienced with the exercise, he could feel her intention as a thick brick wall behind him. Leonardo's heart was beating faster with the thought that she had chosen him. She could have taken Donatello or Michelangelo and even Raphael, but she had picked him as her victim.

It was a brave attempt and he couldn't help feeling impressed by her. He was actually a bit sad that he was going to win. It was easy to sense her intention, and Leonardo raised his hand to catch her. At the same moment, he felt her intention change and he turned his head to Donatello, who caught her hands around his neck.

"But…," Leonardo started, but trailed off. He realized that he had made a terrible mistake.

Aki crossed her arms, while she smiled at his confusion in triumph. Master Splinter gave a small shake of his head before he walked towards his eldest son.

"Aki's attempt succeeded in trying to distract you, my son," Master Splinter said gently. "If it had been an actual battle you could have been attacked from the front without you even knowing it."

"Yes Sensei," Leonardo answered quietly.

Splinter examined his eldest son a little longer, and then he grunted softly, and walked away from him. The others looked stunned at Leonardo as if they couldn't believe that had happened. Leonardo had failed and therefore he had become the next attacker. Something they hadn't experienced for a long time. Aki cast her eyes at the blue-masked turtle and felt guilty as she saw the pain in his face. What had she done?

Aki didn't understand that her little mind trick could have such consequences for the serious turtle. It was obvious that he felt ashamed of his action. Aki felt terrible. She hadn't done it to make a fool of him. Actually, she hadn't believed that she could distract him so much as she had done. Her decision to make him believe that he was her victim and then attack Donatello had seemed harmless, but she realized that she had embarrassed him in front of the others and his Sensei. Aki had never felt so bad in her life.

Leonardo didn't notice her face which was filled with remorse. He was too busy blaming himself. For that split second, his mind had been on the young woman, and not on the lesson. He had lost his focus because he was convinced that she had chosen him. It had merely been a hopeless wish in his heart that she maybe was showing an interest in him. How could he have been so blind? The consequence had been that he ended up failing the exercise horribly. Worst of all, Splinter was disappointed in him, and that hurt more than his own disappointment in himself.

Leonardo was mistaken considering his master's feelings. The old rat glanced at the young woman and then placed his eyes at his oldest son. It wasn't hard to discern that Leonardo was accusing himself for his foolishness, but what tore at Splinter's heart was the great soul pain in his son's eyes. It took a lot to bring Leonardo's emotional barriers down to this level.

The old rat looked resignedly down at his hands. He knew that his son was hurting because of his prohibition, and he couldn't take it anymore. Leonardo was unable to remove his love for the young woman and the pain was eating him inside whether she returned his love or not. At this moment, Master Splinter made a decision, which he should have made three weeks ago.

"Leonardo, look at me," Master Splinter ordered kindly.

His eldest son cringed inwardly at his words, wondering if Splinter was displeased with him, but his master's expression was soft and full of concern. Leonardo read the message clearly in the old rat's eyes that assured him that he wasn't unhappy with him. Splinter gave a gentle nod of his head, and Leonardo smiled a little in return.

"Aki has to learn the power of intention to keep her mind clear for the coming battle with Rex. It is necessary that she practices her magic skills but it will be easier for her, if she has gained the control of her body and her mind. Don't you agree with me, Aki?" the old rat asked and looked at the young woman.

"I would be grateful, if you could teach me," Aki said and nodded.

"I won't, but Leonardo can give you lessons in feeling the soul of your enemy," Master Splinter said calmly.

"I don't understand Sensei," Leonardo said confused and took one-step forward his master. "I failed the exercise today."

"Nevertheless you can sense the intention and presence from your enemy better than anyone. Leonardo, do not punish yourself for what happened today. You must remember that true perfection can't be achieved because you always have something to learn."

"I understand Sensei," Leonardo acknowledged. "But I won't teach Aki how to feel the soul from another person."

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter said sharply and looked firmly at his son.

"NO!" Leonardo cried and ignored the surprised look from the others. "How can you asked it from me, when you know the truth?"

Raphael looked at his brothers who shrugged their shoulders. They didn't know how to react. They weren't use to that Leonardo refused to follow their master's orders. It wasn't his nature at all. Aki felt confused by the situation. However, she realized that it wasn't up to her to interfere in their discussion.

"Leonardo, Aki needs to learn…,"

"Then ask Raphael, Donatello or Michelangelo," Leonardo hissed and turned his back at his father. "But leave me alone!"

"Leonardo, stop!" Master Splinter ordered.

Leonardo glanced briefly at his master, as he knew it was wrong of him. Yet, he had to follow his heart, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to control himself if he was alone with Aki. It confused him that his father seemed to have forgotten that he could bring the clan, his family, in danger if he was spending time with her. Master Splinter gave his son a pleading gaze, but Leonardo merely turned away from him, walking determinately out from the dojo. Master Splinter looked sadly down at the floor mats.

"What the hell happened?" Raphael asked.

Donatello gave him a silent look, and the red-masked turtle nodded. They all knew why Leonardo had reacted this way, and Raphael quickly glanced briefly at Aki. Small tears were rolling down her cheeks as she had a feeling that it had something to do with her. Raphael clenched his teeth in anger at his oldest brother. Why did he have to hurt her? After all, it wasn't her fault that Leonardo was having feelings for her.

"Don't mind him Aki," Michelangelo said and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"No, he is just acting like a jerk," Raphael added.

"Sorry guys, but I need to be alone for a while," Aki said and removed the tears from her eyes.

Aki walked quickly out from the dojo and Raphael took a step forward to follow her. "No Raphael, let her go."

Raphael stopped immediately when he heard his master's voice. The old rat had his hands around his cane, looking firmly at his son. Raphael nodded in acknowledgement and turned his attention back to his father.

"I'm worried Sensei about them both. He is hurting her, because he is so damn stubborn. Shouldn't we explain to her what is going on? I mean, Leonardo isn't the type, who is going to reveal anything to her."

"And she hadn't realized why he is acting so strange either," Michelangelo added and looked confused at his family. "Maybe she doesn't know what love is."

Donatello placed his hand thoughtfully around his chin as he considered his brother's suggestion. "I don't think that she even considers it as a possibility that Leonardo loves her."

"I believe you're right my son," Master Splinter nodded but pointed warningly at his sons. "Nevertheless we don't do anything at this point. They need to be alone for a while. Do you understand?"

They nodded in agreement, but Raphael wasn't satisfied with his father's decision. He wanted to say some truthful words to their "fearless" leader and tell him how much he disliked his behaviour. It wasn't fair that he was hurting Aki. Raphael looked irritated at the doorway, where Leonardo had disappeared. If Leonardo wouldn't teach her how to feel the soul, then he would take the assignment regardless of his brother's feelings.

A/N: So what did you think of the chapter? Nice with a little lesson in Ninjitsu I got it from a book about the subject. Leonardo is being really stubborn now that is for sure. I hope that I can get the next chapter ready for you in the next few weeks but I'm really busy at the moment. Until next time, take care….


	17. Confusion

A/N: Ah, finally the chapter is finished… Wow, I can't believe that it has almost been two months since my last update and I'm sorry about the delay. It is amazing how fast the time went as the Easter vacation arrived. I visited both my own and my boyfriend's family and I have spent most of my time working with my schoolwork and my exams… Therefore, I didn't have much time to write on my story, which is a shame really, because I'm really looking forward to writing the next couple of chapters. You're all going to see why :) I received a few reviews on the last chapter, I want to thank **Kunoichi Kasumi, Akasha-chan91, and in particular Ramica, who is an amazing writer and is doing a great job correcting my story.** Well that seems to be enough talk from my part. Enjoy…

Splinter fetched a deep sigh before he walked slowly out through the door, leaving his sons in the dojo. He had ended the discussion completely when he had demanded his sons to leave Aki and Leonardo alone, but he could still hear their low whispers behind his back. The old rat gave a resigned shake of his head and continued towards the living room area. He hoped in his heart that his sons would listen to him, but he wasn't sure.

As a parent of the young turtles, he had tried too many times that they would do exactly the opposite. Sometimes it bothered him that they didn't always follow his commands, but Splinter had to admit that his decisions sometimes could be harsh to his pupils. Could he actually blame Leonardo for his reaction in the dojo? Splinter stopped his movement one second, gazing silently at the floor as he recalled the respond from his eldest son: _"NO!" Leonardo cried and ignored the surprised look from the others. "How can you asked it from me, when you know the truth?"_

Splinter felt a thick lump in his throat as he recalled the deep sorrow and frustration, which he had seen in Leonardo's eyes. Leonardo had been disrespectful in his behaviour, when he had refused to teach the young woman how to feel the soul from another person, but Splinter knew that it wasn't Leonardo's fault. The old rat could merely blame himself. It had been his choice when he made the prohibition for Leonardo to be near the young woman in the first place. No wonder, his son felt confused regarding his master's wishes for the clan. Leonardo had told him the truth about his emotions, and Splinter had told him never to say a word to the young woman for the sake of the clan and himself.

Despite the fact that it still was a dangerous risk for Leonardo to tell Aki about his love for her, Splinter had finally decided that he had made a wrong decision, when his eldest son had asked him for advice. Leonardo was confused that he suddenly was allowed to show his feelings and Splinter knew that it was his fault. It was a painful knowledge to a father's heart to know that his son was still hurting himself because of his previous advice.

Splinter sat tiredly on the sofa and placed his cane on the coffee table. Splinter wished for one moment that he were able to change time. Splinter had forbidden Leonardo to reveal his emotions to the young woman for the safety of himself and the clan. A union between Aki and Leonardo was impossible, not to mention that it would dangerous for both of them. Splinter had quickly realised that it would be an unfair demand from Leonardo to ask the young woman to live in the sewers with him.

Splinter had seen so many complications with Leonardo's feelings for Aki that he had tried hard to cut off any hope that Leonardo might have for a possible relationship with her. What the old rat hadn't considered in his plan was that it would be killing his eldest son emotionally in the process. That wasn't a price that Splinter was willing to pay. Even to this point Splinter didn't believe that Aki shared Leonardo's feelings, but maybe if Leonardo knew how she felt about him, then he would be able to move on with his life instead of destroying himself thinking at the young woman.

Master Splinter seized the remote and turned on the TV screens. He was trying to find something that could take his mind off the problems in the lair for a short moment, but even the news wasn't particularly interesting. He was about to depart when a live breaking news segment came, catching his attention. It was a nice female reporter, who was standing in the zoo a few inches from a cage, which seemed to have been ripped apart.

"_This is Susan Brown from channel six,"_ the reporter began. _"I'm standing at the zoo where mysterious things has occurred doing last night. Many of the cages had been broken and some of the animals had simply vanished."_

Master Splinter felt his heart beating faster as he heard these words. No, it couldn't be. He leaned forward, nearly sitting on the edge of his seat as he gazed intensively at the screens. His bad conscience faded away from his mind a brief moment as he focused his complete attention to the news.

"_We were able to talk with the guard John McCoy who was watching over the zoo area last night when the animals escaped from their cages," _Susan continued to narrate.

The camera removed from the reporter to a middle-aged man in his fifties with wrinkled sun-tanned face and a little grey moustache. He was wearing a blue uniform with a little yellow badge, which reminded Master Splinter of the police uniforms. The man seemed a little unease when the female reporter turned the microphone near his face.

"_John McCoy. Can you explain what happened here last night?" _Susan asked kindly with a look of expectancy.

"Hey, what is happening?" Donatello asked curiously, as he stepped in the room.

"Shh Donatello," Splinter said without removing his gaze from the TV screens.

Donatello nodded in acknowledgement and placed himself quietly to the sofa next to his father. A little grateful smile flickered across the old rat's face. It was nice that Donatello quickly understood the situation and kept silent as the guard answered the reporter's question.

"_Well, the animals went crazy last night," _John McCoy told the reporter and shrugged his shoulders in despair. _"I'm not exactly sure what happened to them."_

"_What animals have disappeared?" _Susan continued.

"_Honestly we're talking about a lot of different species like horses, rabbits and monkeys. I have been instructed to inform the public that there are dangerous animals among them. All our tigers and snakes have escaped from their cages. If you see one of them, you have to leave them alone and call the police immediately, so they can catch them_."

"Rex," Donatello mumbled to himself and felt fear running through him as the reporter continued with the interview.

"_How is it possible for so many creatures to escape from the zoo?"_

"_It seems like a criminal organization was behind this," the guard said and suddenly he blushed. "I was drugged and had therefore no chance to stop them."_

"_Why do you suspect that it a criminal organization, which is behind this?" Susan Brown asked raising her eyebrows in a questioningmanner._

"_Well, we don't know, who is exactly behind this," John McCoy admitted and heaved a sigh. "But we know that the animals got help to escape from their cages. There are absolutely no signs of the animals, so we believe that someone has taken them."_

"_Good luck with the investigation," the reporter said and turned her face towards the camera. "We will follow the amazing story and more information will follow as the case developes. This is Susan Brown and now back to the studio."_

"I can't believe it," Donatello whispered in shock.

"Neither did I, my son, but it seems that Rex is using the flutes now to get her animal army," master Splinter said and looked at the purple-masked son with sadness in his eyes.

"She is planning something," Donatello and placed his hand thoughtfully under his chin. "But whyhas she waited three weeks?"

"I don't know," Splinter said honestly and gave a mild shake of his head as he thought about the wicked woman. "But we know one thing."

"What?"

"That she would do anything to destroy Aki and you," the old rat concluded and took a deep breath. "I need to meditate on this."

"Sure Master Splinter," Donatello said and rose from the sofa. "Then I'll look on one of my inventions. It could be useful, if we came to battle with her."

Master Splinter nodded in agreement, but didn't say a word, when his genius son left the room. So many things had to be considered regarding a future battle with the furious witch. Master Splinter had the feeling that the evil was near him and his family and it scared him. He was troubled in his mind, as he had to find a good solution to their problems. He would never send his sons to fight Rex unless they had a chance to win the battle. Aki's magic potion was able to help them removing Rex's powers, but they need to find a way to get close to her first without being killed.

Master Splinter knew that meditation was the only way to keep his mind clear of the other problems, which troubled him greatly at this time. However, he had to focus on the future enemy and the dangerous flutes. Master Splinter heaved a deep sigh, as he seized his cane. He could feel the tiredness in his head, as he rose from the sofa.

"So many problems," he mumbled softly and gave a resigned shake of his head.

The old rat stopped suddenly as he turned around to leave the room. The eyes blinked fast as he glanced to the left side and then to the right side of the room, as he tried to sense why something suddenly felt deeply wrong inside him. He couldn't precisely determent where the feeling came from, but he couldn't help feeling that the room had changed somehow. Master Splinter sniffed the different smells in the room but there weren't anything usual. Splinter took one- step forward, trying to sense a presence near him. No, he was certain that he was the only one in the living area. Then why did he have feeling that something was terribly wrong?

Master Splinter hated to admit it but he was getting more anxious by the situation. He had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts and these instincts warned him that something was trying to get near him. A sweet melody sounded far away from him and he looked at the direction where the tones were coming from. Splinter had never heard a melody, which tones had sounded so soft and relaxing to his troubled mind. Splinter starred amazed at the wall behind the TV screens where the music was louder. He placed his hand on the rough surface and smiled happily. The music was calling at him.

Raphael shook his head wildly in disbelief as he walked into the kitchen along with Michelangelo. How could Leonardo be such a buffoon? The red-masked turtle had never believed that his eldest brother was able to ignore the sorrow in the young woman's eyes. Raphael was getting angrier with his brother for his selfish action in the dojo. He knew that Leonardo was hurting too, but that wasn't an excuse to make Aki cry. She hadn't done anything wrong, and Raphael hated that he had been forbidden to tell her truth.

"I need something to drink," he mumbled to himself, walking slowly towards the refrigerator to get a beer.

Michelangelo raised his eyes at his brother's words but didn't say anything. He could easily notice when Raphael was in a bad mood. Michelangelo quickly grabbed a soda, before Raphael closed the door to the refrigerator. The two brothers were quietly drinking, as they were both lost in thoughts.

"What a day," Michelangelo exclaimed and broke the silence between them.

"Yeah, you can say that again," Raphael said and gazed irritated at his brother. "Can you believe that Leonardo is being such a jerk?"

"Raphael, he isn't thinking straight," Michelangelo said in defense of his eldest brother. "It can't be easy for him being in love with her."

"Hell, it isn't easy Mike, but that doesn't mean that he has to treat her like trash," Raphael contradicted. "If he was thinking straight, then he would never had let go this far. Leonardo knows better than any of us that love is out from our reach. There isn't a single human who wants to live in the sewers with us. We're freaks in the world!"

"Don't you think that I know that?" Michelangelo asked and felt a sting in his heart, as he had thought about the subject before. "When we grew up, we all realized that we were the only mutant turtles on this planet, but that knowledge hasn't helped Leonardo at all. It has only made it more complicated for him knowing that she won't ever share the same feelings for him."

"What are you talking about Mike?" Raphael asked confused.

"As you said, Leonardo knows perfectly well that a human woman never will fall in love with any of us. This is the reason why he is avoiding Aki, because he doesn't want to get hurt by the fact that she doesn't love him."

"He should never have fall in love with her in the first place," Raphael commented dryly and took a sip of his beer.

"Love doesn't work like that," Michelangelo said with a look of amusement on his face as he glanced at his brother. "You can never know when you're getting in love with a woman."

"You have watched too many movies Mike," Raphael said and pointed at his brother. "You don't know anything more about love than I do."

"Maybe I don't," Michelangelo agreed and nodded. "But I have noticed Leonardo's feelings from the beginning. He was obsessed with the thoughts of her even after the first fight with her. When she was poisoned, he stayed with her for three days to protect her. If that isn't real love, then I don't know what it is."

"Nevertheless she doesn't deserve this treatment from him," Raphael said and placed his beer on the table. "And master Splinter wants us to leave them alone. It isn't fair to her."

Michelangelo watched his brother as he spoke. The dark gloomy expression in his face had disappeared. Instead, there were frustration and sadness in his eyes. Michelangelo felt his heart beating faster, as he hoped that he wasn't right at this point.

"Why do you care?"

"What?"

"Why do you care?" Michelangelo repeated, starring intense at his tempered brother. "It really bothers you that he is hurting her. Why?"

"It bothers me, because she is my friend," Raphael stated.

Michelangelo had the feeling that Raphael was hiding something from him. It was correct that he and Aki had gotten closer since their first confrontation, but Michelangelo knew his brother very well even though Raphael never had been the turtle who showed his feelings in public.

"I'm her friend too," Michelangelo reminded him calmly. "And I don't want her to see her hurt either Raph, but…"

"What?" Raphael said quickly, when his youngest brother suddenly trailed off.

"I have never seen you so angry with Leonardo as you have the past three weeks," Michelangelo began.

"Off course I am," Raphael cut off. "Leonardo isn't treating herlike she deserve. She need one, who…"

"Who is treating her nice," Michelangelo finished. "Like you want to treat her. It seems to me that you're having feelings for her too, Raph, and this is the real reason, why you're so mad at Leonardo."

Raphael looked shocked at his youngest brother and swallowed hardly as he felt the words hitting him like cold water in the face. Should he have feelings for Aki? All of a sudden, Raphael felt ill by his brother's suspicion, and the shock turned to anger at the same moment. How dared his brother to indicate that he was falling in love with a human? It was merely their fearless leader, who was stupid enough to having emotions for Aki.

Michelangelo, who had been waiting for Raphael's response, felt slightly nervous as his tempered brother gazed at him with a furious look in his face. His eyes were shooting with lightning at him, and Michelangelo got the feeling that he was lucky that eyes couldn't kill anyone. Fury sparkled in his eyes and for a moment, Michelangelo thought he might attack him. Michelangelo quickly glanced down at his weapons, fully prepared to defend himself if it got necessary.

Raphael stopped a few inches from his anxious brother. Michelangelo felt a lump in his throat while he waited for Raphael's next move. However, the hotheaded turtle backed away from him. Michelangelo watched in anger and confusion as Raphael spun and walked away.

"What the hell happened?" he mumbled quietly to himself, as he recalled the words he had said to him.

Raphael had been really pissed, when Michelangelo had mentioned that he might have feeling for Aki as well as Leonardo. For one moment, Michelangelo actually had believed that his brother would hit him, something that Raphael only did, when he was really mad and wasn't thinking clearly. Yet, could he blame him for his reaction? As Michelangelo thought more about Raphael's personality and normal behaviour, he knew that he had made a terrible mistake.

"Oh no, stupid idiot!" he hissed and hurried out from the kitchen to apologise to his older brother.

"Raph, please slow down," Michelangelo pleaded as his older brother turned around and walked determinately towards the stairs which lead to the upper level of the lair.

Raphael clenched his teeth in irritation and continued with fast steps as he passed the big area with the small lake. Raphael had no intention to slow down at all. Frankly, he didn't care about Michelangelo's suspicions or his apologies for that matter. Raphael shook his head in frustration, as he was very upset by his brother's behaviour. How could he even think the idea that he was having feelings for Aki?

He was worried about her because he knew that Leonardo was hurting her badly and had been doing it for the past three weeks with his avoiding attitude. The fact that he was angry with their "fearless" leader didn't mean that he was in love with her. Did it?

"Raph, please slow down," Michelangelo repeated with his voice full of regret. "Look, I know that I went too far this time and I'm sorry."

Raphael closed his eyes tightly before he turned short to face his youngest brother. "I don't care how sorry you are Mike so save your stupid apologies to a pathetic soap opera because I'm not going to listen," he hissed tartly.

"Raph, I didn't mean to…," Michelangelo began.

"No!" Raphael cut off sharply and his eyes flared with rage. "Shut up with the bullshit!"

"Fine," Michelangelo retorted and gave a resigned shake of his head. "Then don't listen and be a stubborn hothead as usual."

Raphael's eyes flared with anger at his youngest brother, but Michelangelo had gotten to the point, where he didn't care anymore if Raphael was mad at him. He had realized that he was getting nowhere with his apologies. No matter how much he explained the reasons for his action, Raphael would never believe him. This conversation with Raphael was exactly the kind of talk, which Michelangelo desperately was trying to avoid. He hated to get into confrontation with Raphael, because it was useless arguing with him. Michelangelo passed his brother, without saying any word, when he suddenly felt Raphael's hand on his arm.

"You're not getting away that easy bro," Raphael hissed angrily. "What you said in the kitchen was…"

"Don't you think I know that?" Michelangelo said resignedly as his brother still wasn't listening to him.

Yet, Michelangelo was convinced that he had been right in his conclusion about Raphael's feelings for Aki. He had known his brother for sixteen years. Raphael wasn't the turtle who wanted to show his emotions in public especially not in front of his family. When it came to the subject of love, Raphael had never told them how he felt about never been able to find a female and in many ways, Michelangelo understood him.

Therefore, the orange-masked turtle had decided to make an apology to his older brother for his words in the kitchen. It was best to let the subject go even though he was worried about what was going to happen if Leonardo ever found out that Raphael loved Aki too. Michelangelo glanced quickly down at the floor as he slowly shook his head. It could be even worse. He didn't hope that Aki found out that both Leonardo and Raphael had feelings for her. Then there would be more trouble in the lair.

"Mike, you...," Raphael began, but trailed off as he discovered Splinter in the living room. "What the hell?"

"What is the matter?" Michelangelo asked when he saw the weird look in Raphael's face. "Have you seen a ghost or something?"

"Behind you," Raphael said gloomily.

Michelangelo turned in his direction and discovered master Splinter standing in the living room area. Anxiety grabbed his heart as he gazed at their father who was starring at the wall with an empty look in his eyes and a happy smile on his face. The two brothers both gazed at one another, and Raphael passed quickly his youngest brother. No actual words had been said between them, as they knew what they had to do.

"Master Splinter?" Raphael called and walked into the living room area with determent steps.

There was no reaction and Michelangelo felt even more worried than before. Why couldn't their father hear them? Michelangelo followed silently Raphael, who stopped a few inches behind the old rat. Raphael glanced at Michelangelo before he gently placed his head on Splinter's shoulder.

"Master Splinter?" he repeated. "Are you all right?"

At first, Michelangelo was afraid that Splinter wasn't going to react on that question either, when the old rat suddenly spun around, looking at his son with a confused look on his face.

"Raphael, Michelangelo," Master Splinter said and gave a little comforting smile when he noticed the concern in their eyes. "What is wrong?"

"Well, we were just going to ask you the same thing Master Splinter," Raphael said honestly. "Why were you staring at the wall?"

"Was I staring at the wall?" Master Splinter said and gazed at the wall above his shoulder. "That is strange… I don't recall…"

"Master Splinter, is everything okay?" Michelangelo asked worryingly.

"Yes, it is," the old rat nodded and turned his attention back to his sons. "I'm just a bit tired. That's all."

"Are you sure?" Raphael asked, not sure if tiredness was the real reason to Master Splinter's weird behaviour.

"I'm positive," Master Splinter replied with a warm smile. "Thank you for asking my son. I'll leave to my room now so I can meditate."

Michelangelo and Raphael watched silently their master passed them on the way to his bedroom. Michelangelo walked a few steps closer to his older brother and gave him a questioning look.

"Do you believe him?"

"I'm not convinced if that it what you mean," Raphael answered seriously as he crossed his arms, glancing at the opening to the big area.

"Then what shall we do?" Michelangelo asked.

"Nothing at this point," Raphael said with a stern expression in his face. "But we'll keep an eye on him. If he does the same thing again, then I want answers."

Michelangelo nodded in acknowledgement. He shared the same suspicion as Raphael that Master Splinter was keeping something hidden from them. It wasn't unusual for Splinter to withhold information from his sons but they both sensed that this time was different. Something had been wrong with him.

"Maybe Master Splinter didn't actually know what happened to him," Michelangelo mumbled and looked at his older brother. "After all he could be going to his room to find out what happened through his meditation."

"It could be," Raphael agreed. "But that is merely one reason more why we shall look after him. If he isn't sure what the hell occurred to him, then it can be a serious problem, Mikey."

Michelangelo knew that his brother was right but he still felt confused about the whole situation. They could make a big deal out of nothing. Maybe there wasn't a problem with Master Splinter. He could have been lost in thoughts because of Leonardo's behaviour in the dojo. Raphael gave a slow shake of his head before he turned short to leave the room. Michelangelo watched him thoughtfully as his older brother walked towards the upper level of the lair. The argument with his brother had disappeared into the shadows of the past, but a single question still remained in his mind. What would happen, if Raphael revealed his true feelings for Aki?

In the meantime, Donatello passed his working table, grabbing one of his screwdrivers on the way. They were hanging on the left side of the subway train among the other tools in perfect order. The genius turtle had different varieties of the tools as the screwdrivers or the hammers. He used them for different purposes when he worked on his inventions. Donatello stopped in front of his working table, where a little grey lamp was shining on his plans of his latest invention.

"It has to work," he mumbled as he seized the mechanical device on the table.

Donatello was quiet as he tried to stay concentrated. It wasn't an easy job to combine the small electrical pieces together. Donatello knew better than anyone that it could be dangerous, if he didn't combine them correctly. Donatello wasn't afraid though, he knew that he had the knowledge and the skills to make his inventions. The purple-masked turtle smiled wryly as he recalled memories from his childhood. Yeah, he had learned to be careful, when he was in his workshop.

However, this was something he loved more than anything in the entire world. An old proverb say that once bitten twice shy, but Donatello wasn't the turtle who gave up if something went wrong with his inventions. It would only make him even more determined to make them work. Donatello suddenly stopped his movement and cast a sidelong glance at Akbot, who was sitting in the right corner. Why had the device been removed from its place? Donatello had investigated the robot after the accident at the dinner, and he hadn't believed his own eyes. Akbot's head had been destroyed inside, but Donatello could understand how it was possible.

"Hi Donny," a voice greeted behind him.

Donatello placed the screwdriver on the table and turned around on his swivel chair to face Aki, who was standing in the doorway. Donatello felt sad at the sight of her. Normally she was beautiful when she glowed like the sun but now she looked different. The great sadness in her emerald eyes was unbearable to watch, especially when he knew why she was feeling miserable.

"Hi Aki, how is it going?" he asked in a friendly mannerand made her a gesture to take place on the simple chair next to him.

"Not so good," she admitted and sat down. "I can't understand why Leonardo won't help me. He used to be my friend, but now…"

"He is still your friend," Donatello said serious and patted her hand gently. "He is just not himself right now."

"I know," Aki nodded and sighed deeply. "And I believe that it is because of me. I just can't understand what I have done to make him upset. Have I offended him somehow?"

"No, you haven't," Donatello shook his head. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"If I haven't done anything wrong, then why won't you tell what is happening to him?" Aki asked and looked drearily at him. "I have wondered for three weeks why he suddenly changed after a single day with me in the lair, and I have the feeling that I'm missing something important which I haven't figured out yet."

Donatello was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the situation. He could perfectly understand why Aki was seeking answers, but he had promised master Splinter to let them be alone without any interference. Aki sniffed and removed a single tear, which escaped from her eyes.

"Look, why don't you talk with Michelangelo or Splinter about this?" Donatello said mildly seizing her hand seeking to comfort her. "Maybe they can help."

Aki glanced down at her hands as she had considered his suggestion. At first, she had wondered if she should ask the rat about Leonardo's behaviour. As their father, Splinter was most likely to know what the matter with his oldest son was. However, Aki had gotten the feeling that Splinter maybe already knew why Leonardo was avoiding her. Aki rubbed her arm uneasy as she tried to avoid looking into Donatello's eyes. If he found out of her suspicion, she would never been able to find out more about the truth.

Aki was certain that the small family was hiding something from her. Aki had seen the regretful expression in Michelangelo's face. They had become friends, but she knew that he wasn't going to tell her anything. When Aki had come out from her room after the horrible incident in the dojo, she had decided to confront Michelangelo with her questions, but when she saw him in the living room area with Raphael and Splinter, she had made another decision as she had noticed the purple-masked working in his workshop. After all, Donatello had to know the truth as well as the others.

"No, I wanted to talk with you," Aki said and gazed seriously at him with a stern look. "I'm not stupid Donny. Your whole family is avoiding me whenever I begin to talk about Leonardo's behaviour and I want to know the truth Don. I'm tired of waiting in the darkness."

"Why me?" Donatello asked and looked questioning at her. "Why did you come to me?"

"Because I hoped in my heart that you would understand my reasons why I need some answer instead of being ignored all the time," Aki said honestly and bit her bottom lip nervously. "You have always been kind and friendly towards me even though I know that you don't believe in magic and…"

She trailed off as she suddenly couldn't stoppe the tears which were rolling down her cheeks. Donatello waited patiently for her to continue. He had realized that Aki wanted to speak with him, since master Splinter and Michelangelo didn't want to talk with her. A little wry smile flickered across Donatello's face, and he quickly placed his hand over his mouth, so Aki wouldn't think that he was smiling at her situation. It was just that it had never seemed like Aki wanted to share her personal feelings with Raphael, not that Donatello didn't understood her reasons. Raphael wasn't exactly the kind of person who gave the expression of being open to hear about others emotions. Yet, Donatello's smile faded in a short moment as he again noticed the great sorrow in her emerald eyes. It was at that point, he realized that this wasn't something, which he could no longer ignore. She had asked him for help and he was going to give it to her.

"Aki listen to me," Donatello said gently and removed the tears from her eyes. "Everything isn't as bad as it seems."

"Then you know what is wrong with Leonardo?"

"Yes, I do," Donatello nodded confirmingly with a serious voice.

"Then why haven't you told me what is going on?" Aki asked and sniffed. "I'm hurting him Donny without knowing why."

"And I can't tell you either," Donatello said and gave a small shake of his head. "We're not allowed to tell you the truth. This is the reason, why Michelangelo hadn't said anything to you even though he had a great desire to do so."

"But I don't understand…," Aki began confused.

"We have given our word to master Splinter what we wouldn't interfere in your friendship with Leonardo. He said to us that it was something which you had to find out yourself."

"But Donny I can't…," Aki started to protest, but Donatello quickly waved with his head to show that he wasn't finished.

"However it pains me and my brothers to see the sadness in your eyes. He is my oldest brother. He has always protected me Aki, and now he is hurting physically, but I can't do anything about it. Do you understand?"

"I'm not sure," Aki replied uncertainly.

"I have given my word of honour Aki," Donatello said and seized her hand. "It was a promise to our Sensei and our father."

"So you won't help me?" Aki finally asked after a brief moment of silence.

"I didn't say that," Donatello said and gave a little smile. "I have promised my father that I won't tell you what the matter with Leonardo is, so don't expect me to do that. However, I haven't promised that you can't figure out the truth yourself. You just need some clues."

"I understand," Aki nodded in agreement.

"Good, now you have to listen carefully," Donatello said and pointed his finger at her. "The day you woke up in the cave, Leonardo had watched over you for three days, never leaving your side. Then you felt a sudden change in Leonardo's behaviour. I can tell you this much that Leonardo were having a conversation with master Splinter before he started to avoid you."

"But…"

"Please let me finish and listen," Donatello asked. "The rules in our clan are very simple. You can never risk anything for the sake of clan even though it means that it goes against your own feelings. Leonardo is never going to tell you the reasons why he is upset, Aki. He is feeling his sense of duty and loyalty to the clan at the expense of his true emotions."

"Where are you heading at?" Aki asked as Donatello suddenly stopped.

"Aki," Donatello said and sighed deeply before he looked her straight into her eyes. "Think hardly about Leonardo and his reactions towards you and… Don't think of his personality as an animal creature but as a human being."

Aki raised her eyebrows in wonder as she considered the meaning of Donatello words. She closed her eyes, recalling her first meeting with Leonardo. He had been a dear friend to her, helping her even though she had treated him and his brothers badly. He had been with her side, supporting her and helping her. She thought about his relief and happiness when she woke up after the poisoned dart hit her.

"Think of him as a human, then you will find the truth," Donatello said.

Aki listened to the genius turtle, and she was already thinking back to the day, where she saw Leonardo laugh for the first time. She had never seen him so happy and then… The sudden change in his behaviour after he apparently had the conversation with master Splinter. He had been avoiding her for the sake of the clan. Why? This question still drummed in her head. The great sadness in his eyes told her that he was hurting as she was. What was the difference if she considered his feelings as a human? As she thought more about it, the truth became clear, removing the last shadows, which had covered her mind. She gasped loudly and faced in shock Donatello, who was studying her with a mild expression on his face.

"Oh my God, he is in love with me," Aki said and shook her head wildly in disbelief. "How is this possible?"

"It is the truth Aki and most possible indeed," Donatello said, answering her question. "And I'm glad that you have found out but you can't tell him that you know it."

"Why not?"

"Aki, what do you feel about Leonardo?" Donatello asked gently.

"Well, I like him as a friend, but…," Aki started to explain.

"You don't love him?"

"I can't say," Aki admitted honestly and looked confused at Donatello. "I have never been in love before, not to mention that it would be impossible Donny. I mean… I'm a human and he's not!"

"I know that, and so does Leonardo," Donatello said and looked sadly at her. "We all know that we can never find love Aki. The possibility of a human getting in love with any of us is nearly impossible. Especially, because we can never be in the world above. We can _never _ask a woman to live in the sewers with us. Our life is dangerous for many reasons. We know it! I just want you to be careful with Leonardo. He has never felt love before. Please don't tell him anything before you're sure about your own feelings. If you don't love Leonardo, then he will accept your decision and respect it."

Donatello was aware of the fact that he wasn't telling the whole truth. He knew in his heart that Leonardo would be devastated if Aki told him that she wasn't sharing the same feelings for him. On the other hand, the purple-masked turtle had realized that it wouldn't be fair to pressure Aki. She had to be truthfully with her own emotions and she could only do it if she knew that it would be safe to do so. Regarding her decision, Donatello knew that they could never be together as a couple. It was simply impossible.

"Thanks Donny," Aki said warmly and placed her hand on his shoulder after she rose from the chair. "It is nice for me that I finally know the truth."

"Well, you haven't heard it from me," Donatello said with a wry smile. "Promise me that you will think this through before you speak with Leonardo."

"I will," Aki promised and walked out from the workshop.

However, her movement stopped immediately when she was out in the big area. Her gaze starred at the upper level of the lair, where she saw Leonardo walk into his room. Aki looked down at the floor, considering her next move. She had to be careful. She knew that Donatello had a point. She couldn't tell Leonardo that she had figured out the truth about his emotions towards her, but she couldn't ignore the fact either. It was simply too hard to watch the sadness in his head and feeling his avoiding attitude every time he got near her. Without any hesitation, Aki walked determinately towards Leonardo's room. She didn't felt confused anymore, she had to talk with him.

A/N: Well, something strange is going on in the lair hehe…, not to mention that Aki now finally knows that Leonardo is having feelings for her. I hope you all liked the chapter though… The next chapter is going to be great, and I'm working on it as fast as I can, but I also have my exam to worry about as well. The last exam is going to be on the 19 June, so please have patience with me :)


	18. To feel the soul

A/N: Hi everyone :) The next chapter is finally finished… I'm thrilled to say that my exams went very well, so I can now enjoy the last of my summer holiday even though I also have to work a bit. This chapter was something that I knew was **going to be in the story when I came with the idea of "Rex", and therefore it is a chapter, which I have been very careful and excited about. I really had some great reviews for the last chapter and I will like to thanks Kunoichi Kasumi and TigerChickTigriss. A very special thanks to Ramica in particular for her great help with correcting my story**. Well that was all from my part. Enjoy…

Aki stared silently at the door opening to Leonardo's room. She had slowed down as she had arrived at the upper level of the lair and now she didn't moved at all. Her face was like stone and didn't show any of her feelings but inside her heart, chaos was ruling. Donatello had indirectly told her why Leonardo had rushed away from the dojo and even though she had been determined with confronting Leonardo with this knowledge; she now suddenly had second thoughts. Aki had gained new information about her turtle friend, but it was a dangerous knowledge to possess.

Aki blamed herself that she hadn't seen the signs. Why had it never crossed her mind that these mutant turtles possessed the same kind of feelings as normal human beings? It irritated her greatly as she now saw the truth clearly in her mind. There had been dozens of signs of Leonardo's love for her and yet she hadn't even considered it as a possibility. Futhermore, she hated the fact that she was beginning to feel nervous about meeting with Leonardo. Her heart was beating faster as she imagined how she would start the conversation with the blue-masked turtle and she quickly removed the picture from her mind. She was only getting more nervous by thinking of the matter.

It was hard, for no matter what she had to speak with Leonardo. Aki knew in her mind that she couldn't tolerate his behaviour any longer, especially now when she had discovered his feelings for her. She understood his reasons, and why he had avoided her, but she needed to make him understand that it was hurting her in the process. It was indeed a difficult task, because she believed Donatello in the idea that it would be a bad thing admitting to Leonardo that she knew the truth about his feelings. It would only embarrass him greatly and she didn't want that. They were friends and Aki wanted to keep that friendship. This friendship was the exact reason why she had to be careful with her words.

Aki stood one brief moment as she took a deep breath to gain courage before she walked towards Leonardo's room. As she entered, she stopped right in the doorway. She felt a lump in her throat as she could see a large figure standing in the back of the room with twin katanas in his hands. Leonardo.

"How are you doing?" Leonardo kept his focus on the far wall, as if the question was directed at the bricks while he took great care in the movement of his katanas.

"We have to talk," Aki said and looked seriously at him. It no longer surprised her that he knew that it was she.

"I know," he stopped his movements, lowered his katanas to his sides and turned to her. She noticed he was covered with sweat and probably has been in his room since he had left the dojo in wild anger and frustration, "So are you going to answer me? How are you?"

"Not good," she admitted, still standing in the doorway. "What do you expect after the way, you ran out?"

"I don't know," Leonardo said and looked at her with a stern expression in his face. "Why is it so important that I'm training you or not? I don't wish to do it."

"Why?"

"Well," Leonardo began, but stopped talking as he seized a towel at his bed. He silently wiped some of the sweat off his face and arms, before he turned to her. "I just don't think that it is a good idea. Master Splinter is more than capable to train you, so my advice is to ask him instead of me and let this subject go."

"I hadn't planned to convince you otherwise," Aki said tartly and looked him straight into his eyes. "It was something else, which we need to talk about."

"Okay," Leonardo said and gave her a questioning gaze, as he waited for her to continue. However, she knew that she was getting on the wrong track, and she watched him throw the towel to side and walk back to the centre of the room.

"Come in, you don't have to stand outside the doorway," he motioned her to come. "It is your room after all."

"No, it isn't," Aki said and crossed her arms. "It is your room Leo and you have every right to be here."

"Yeah, I know," the blue-masked turtle nodded as he turned his face back towards the back wall. "But while you're staying in the lair, it is your room. Therefore I have no right practicing further more, if you want to be left in peace."

"No, go ahead with your practice but I-I don't want to intrude you either, so if…"

"No!" he took a step toward her, "It's good to talk to someone while I'm practicing and as you said, we need to talk. Besides it keeps my head in check, you know?"

"Okay, but please promise me that you won't leave without hearing what I have to say," Aki pleaded.

Even though she was merely looking at his shell, she could sense that he was smiling at her. "Okay, I promise that I don't leave."

"Fine," Aki hesitantly started to walk into the room, but stopped after a few steps and looked at Leonardo as he took another starting position, "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," he said taking on a different position with only one of his katanas in his hand and staring blankly at the wall once again.

"How much do you practice outside the time with your brothers?"

Leonardo froze as he heard her question. He had expected that she would have asked him about his behaviour in the dojo. Leonardo looked suspiciously at her, but she merely had an innocent expression in her beautiful emerald eyes. Leonardo swallowed hard as he had to remove his gaze from her. She was so attractive that he couldn't even look at her without feeling allured by her beauty.

"I just wanted to be alone for a time," he mumbled as he kept his gaze firmly at the wall.

Aki couldn't help but feeling deeply moved by his reaction. Before she knew the truth about his emotions, she would have already gotten angry with him but at this point, she felt a great compassion in her heart for the turtle in front of her. It would be a hard task, but Aki had to show Leonardo that it was possible for them to be in the same room and near each other without crossing any lines. She had to make him realize that she understood his pain without telling him that she knew the truth about his love for her. Otherwise, it might kill their friendship. Therefore, Aki had a purpose with her question. She wanted to get Leonardo to get his mind on something else than the awful situation, which occurred in the dojo a few hours earlier.

"I wasn't referring to this moment," Aki remarked with a wry smile. "I have noticed in these three weeks that you also train when you aren't in the dojo with your father and brothers. How much do you practise?"

"A few hours everyday that I can spare," he admitted. "Sometimes it helps me to get my focus off of other things."

"What kinds of things?"

"Well… you know," he began and turned in her direction without looking her in eyes, "From the reality."

"It's nice to do that sometimes," she agreed, wellknowing that he was still referring to the past events. "Maybe I want to get my mind from the reality as well."

He tilted his head to the side as he was considering the hidden massage in her words, but then he placed his katanas on the back on his shell and gazed at her with sadness in his eyes.

"In that case I will recommend you to talk with Master Splinter. He can help you," Leonardo advised carelessly.

Aki felt cold inside as he was rejecting to help her once again. It was a slap in her face that he was still avoiding her. In the same second Aki gave up the idea with talking easy to him.

"What did you say?" she said, staring surprisingly at him.

"You heard me," Leonardo said and crossed his arms. "Aki, don't pretend that you don't know that I'm talking about. I knew your purpose to talk with me from the second that you walked inhere and I don't want to teach you."

"But your own father believed that you would be the right choice," Aki pointed out and crossed her arms with a questioning look in her eyes. "Do you doubt his decision?"

Leonardo swallowed hard. He had asked himself repeatedly why Master Splinter suddenly had changed his opinion about him and Aki being together. As his father knew about his love for the young woman, and how a union would nearly be impossible between them, it had confused the blue-masked turtle greatly why Splinter had decided that his oldest son should teach her the way of feeling a soul. It didn't make any sense at all. It wasn't that he doubted his Sensei's decision; he just couldn't trust himself enough to be Aki's teacher. He knew that he would love, more than anything in the world, to be close to her and yet he had to fight against it to save them both for an embarrassing moment, as he eventually wouldn't be able to resist her anymore.

"No, I don't doubt it," Leonardo replied and sighed deeply. "I'm just not strong enough to fulfil his wish."

"Why? She asked and felt her heart beating faster, as she asked the question. Leonardo glanced at her and felt a slight pain in his heart, as he suddenly noticed the desperate expression in her eyes. However, he was unable to answer her. He had a big lump in his throat and he fought a soul battle inside to prevent his tears from getting out in the open.

"Leonardo, have I done anything to you?" Aki asked finally after a few seconds of silence.

"No, you haven't," Leonardo said and turned his face towards the wall. "This has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me!" Aki burst out and grabbed his arm with her hand. "Don't pretend it to be otherwise. Why can't you do what Master Splinter asked of you?

"Does it matter?" Leonardo asked, giving a resigned shake of his head before removing her hand from his arm. "I can't tell you my reasons for doing this, but you have to accept my decision nonetheless."

Aki bit her bottom lip in frustration. She knew that he was right in his point that she couldn't make him teach her anything, but it bothered her that he was merely thinking of his own feelings. Couldn't he see the pain, which he was causing her? Leonardo had a hard time looking at her when he noticed that water was coming into her eyes. Leonardo felt like a knife was stabbing into his heart as he felt her sorrow but he knew that he had to be firm about this even though it pained him that he had to hurt her.

"I'm sorry Aki, but I can't do it," Leonardo apologized and started to leave the room in the thought that she might want to be alone.

"You promised me that you wouldn't leave," Aki pointed out with a voice cold as ice.

"No," Leonardo contradicted as he looked at her above his shoulder while he was heading for the door. "I promised you that I wouldn't leave before I have heard what you wanted to say. You have said your words and I don't want to discuss this subject no more."

"If you walk out of this room, then you don't care nothing about me or our friendship," Aki said slowly in a harsh tone while she pointed threateningly at him. "If you leave now Leonardo, then I'm leaving this lair immediately."

Leonardo felt his heart stopped and his breath disappeared from his lungs in one second, as he knew that she was serious about her threat. Leonardo stopped as he turned in her direction. She looked so sad that he had to fight a great battle against his desire to take her into his arms and comfort her.

"You mustn't leave, Aki… I can't…," Leonardo wanted to bite his tongue off as he almost was telling her the truth.

"NO!" Aki shouted and her emerald eyes flared with anger at him. "I'm sick and tired of hearing this crap from you. You won't let me get near you and you're avoiding me every single day."

"Look, if it is about the training, then I told you…," Leonardo began, but he was instantly interrupted by Aki.

"This isn't about the training. God damnit! You're hurting me, Leo!" Aki said and this time, she let the tears roll down her cheek as she was getting more upset with him. "You are ruining our friendship and I can't live like this."

"Aki, I…," Leonardo tried again, but what could he say? He knew perfectly well that they couldn't continue living together, if he always tried to get away from her. Leonardo wished deeply inside that he was allowed to tell and show her his love and affection for her, but he knew it would be a terrible mistake. There were so many reasons why a relationship never could work between them. Leonardo had agreed with Master Splinter that a relationship with a human could be a danger to the clan, because Aki would be a new target for their enemies. She wouldn't be his strength but his weakness in a battle because he would worry about her all the time. Moreover, that wasn't the only thing, which he had considered in his mind. A special question didn't want to disappear from his thoughts: How could he ever ask her to live with him in a sewer? Yet, Leonardo had realized the most important reason, why he couldn't tell her the truth. It was impossible for a human to fall in love with a big green turtle!

"You're killing me Leo," Aki sniffed. "You're killing our friendship."

"Look Aki, I can't tell you, why I have behaved like this the last three weeks," Leonardo finally found the words to speak with her and looked at her with a pleading gaze. "But I beg you to stay."

"I don't ask you to tell me," Aki said and removed the tears from her face. "That is your business and I won't make you a demand to reveal your secrets to me. However, I can't live like this either Leo. Can't you at least try to be in the same room as me?"

It wasn't an unreasonable demand, and Leonardo nodded in acknowledgement. Leonardo felt deeply frustrated, but he knew that he couldn't avoid her anymore without hurting her badly. Yet, he was scared of what might happen, if he was too close to her. He wasn't actually in control of his emotions when he was near her – something, which troubled him a lot. Leonardo turned his direction at the wall where he had been training for the last couple of hours and then looked down at his hands. He had fought a terrible soul battle where he had tried to pretend that he was doing the right thing with refusing to help her because she would affect him too much. Leonardo sighed deeply as he almost couldn't recognize himself. He had always been the one in the family who had wanted to help others and take care of the persons, he loved, and now… Now he had been rejecting the one person, who he loved more than anything in the world. He had been rejecting her for three whole weeks.

"Come on," Leonardo smiled faintly as he finally gave up some of his defences and waved for her to get closer to the centre of the room, "I will begin to teach you how to feel the soul from another person. It isn't an easy task and you must first remove all your thoughts from your mind."

Aki raised her eyebrows in wonder as she was surprised by his words, but she didn't dare to say a word. Somehow, she got the thought that a single word from her could ruin the moment. She was thrilled that Leonardo had realized that they could be together without hurting each other. However, now when she knew the truth about his emotions, she knew that she had to be more careful around him. She didn't want to hurt him either.

Leonardo took one-step to the side, as he had to stand close behind her back. Inside the leader's heart everything was chaos as he took a gently grip around her arms with his green fingers. Her skin was nice and soft. Leonardo's throat felt dry as he began to bend her elbows and position her arms in different ways of defence.

"You have to remove your worries and problems from your head and only concentrate about one thing: The movement," he whispered softly in her ear, as he planted her arms in front of her eyes.

Aki had tried martial art before and she knew about these exercises to clear the mind. However, this was different because Leonardo was teaching her a special kind of defence moves, which he used in the art of Ninjitsu. Aki had never felt more honoured as he showed her a new world to her, his world. They were both silent, as they were concentrated about every single movement. She didn't know how long they had been practicing the moves, before he let go of her and looked at her with a curious gaze.

"How experienced are you with the use of weapon?" he asked her and seized one of the katanas behind his shell. "Have you ever trained with a katana before?"

"No," she answered honestly. "The order of The Five Elements didn't care much for these weapons because they had their magic."

Then Leonardo smiled wryly at her and Aki felt warm inside, as she could sense the change in his nature. He was no longer trying to hide himself from her. Still, the sorrow remained in his eyes and Aki wasn't sure if it was ever going to disappear. He was still in love with her and even though Aki could feel that he wasn't trying to hurt her anymore, she knew that he was still hurting himself. As Leonardo put his katana in her hand, she bit her bottom lip in despair by the fact that she couldn't help him with his soul pain. She couldn't remove his love for her, she didn't possess that kind of power.

"Let try then," Leonardo said with a stern voice.

Inside Leonardo was surprised that he actually was able to train her without doing anything forbidden. It wasn't easy for him to be near her, oh no. He sensed her body close to his own and he had to fight a great battle against his big desire to pull her even closer. He imagined silently himself kissing her soft lips, but he was still able to stand against it. The happiness in her face, when he had told her that he wanted to try with the training, had been worth it. In addition, Leonardo had realized an important thing this evening: he would never hurt her on purpose again to save his own emotions from getting hurt.

"Keep your arm steady," he explained gently. "And keep your only thought on the blade."

Aki was surprised by the weight of the katana. She had always pictured it lighter that what it actually was. He kept his hands on her wrists as he led her through the movements. She let herself get lost in the lesson and by the smoothness of his voice, echoing in her mind. Aki didn't dare to say a word as they practiced. She concentrated her mind to keep her focus on the training, but it was hard. It had merely been a few seconds ago that she noticed how close they were, not only with their bodies, but also with their spirits. Never had Leonardo seemed so deep to her and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She hadn't never felt such a bond between them with the feelings of companionship and trust. She trusted him totally with the katanas and her life. Moreover, in a strange way she knew that he trusted her.

"Now, keep your forearm straight and look down the blade," he whispered as he reached around her to balance the blade and kept his face next to hers to see what she was seeing, "That's it, you got it."

"Thanks Leo," she looked away from the blade and toward his voice, not counting on the close proximity of his face next to hers.

"Well, we're not done yet," a smile flickered across his face as he placed the katana back on his shell. "You haven't learned how to feel a soul yet."

"Yeah, but it is getting late," she reminded him and pointed at the small clock on the wall. "It is almost midnight."

"Are you tired?" Leonardo asked worryingly.

"No, but I just thought…," she began, but then trailed off.

What had she been thinking? She had stepped a few steps forward to turn around to face him. No, he didn't seem tried either, but Aki wasn't sure if it was a good idea to continue with their training or not. The closeness she had felt with him had been a dangerous emotion, too dangerous. Aki knew that she had to be careful. This turtle loved her! She wasn't afraid of Leonardo, because she knew that he would never cross the forbidden line. She was more afraid of her own feelings.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied quietly and gave a slow shake of her head.

"Shall we proceed with the training then?" Leonardo asked seriously.

"Definitely," Aki answered with a firm voice.

Now there wasn't a way to turn back. She had made her decision. Leonardo nodded in agreement. Silently he prayed that he was able to resist her and stay strong, as he took a few steps closer to her, so his body was merely a few inches away from her. Leonardo seized carefully both her hands as if they were made of fragile glass. Aki suddenly felt that the air was disappearing from her lungs, as she sensed the gently touch from his green fingers moving from her hands to her wrists. He placed her wrists, so the palm of her hands was turned against each other.

"You have to feel the energy," Leonardo explained patiently and looked deeply into her eyes.

"I don't understand," Aki said nervously as she glanced down at her hands.

"You have to sense the energy from your hand," Leonardo continued. "You have to focus on your hands."

"I don't know…," Aki began and closed her eyes as she was trying to imagine her hands.

"No that isn't right, open your eyes please," Leonardo asked and placed his hand above hers. "Can you feel my hand?"

"Sure I can," Aki said and didn't want to share with him that his touch felt like electricity. "I can feel it."

"Now I move my hand a few inches above your hand," Leonardo said and did it the same second. Can you still sense my hand?"

"No," Aki said and felt disappointed. "I can't."

"Okay, no one said that this was going to be easy," Leonardo remarked with a little smile. "Now try to focus on my hand."

Aki nodded and Leonardo made the same movement again. As they continued with the training, Aki was amazed by the amount of patience he showed her. No matter how lost she felt, he got her back on track and didn't stop one moment. She didn't knew that Leonardo actually was beginning to feel more and more proud of her courage and intensive will to to make the exercise a success. He had been surprised, when she finally sensed the energy from his hand. It was a hard task and Leonardo remembered that it had taken Michelangelo several days to learn how to sense his own energy.

"Fine, now we take this a little further."

Aki's heart was beating faster as she could actually had been able to feel his hand, when he rose his green hand a few inches above her own. The glad smile on his face also told Aki that Leonardo was very pleased with her, something that made her chins blush of happiness. She didn't want to disappoint him, when he finally had agreed to be her teacher.

"Now listen carefully," Leonardo advised seriously, as he placed himself right in front of her. "It isn't easy to detect a presence Aki, and I don't expect that you will learn this in one evening, but…"

"I will do my best, Leonardo," Aki promised solemnly.

"I'm sure you will," he remarked with a wry smile. "You have to stay on focus on the energy of our presence. You have to preserve and keep this magnetic energy feeling close in your mind."

Aki nodded and Leonardo placed his hands three fingers, so the palms of his hands were in front of her. Aki wondered what they were going to do with the next practice. Whatever it was, she couldn't stop feeling excited about the situation.

"Now place your hands close to mine, but don't touch them," Leonardo asked gently, but firm as he gazed at her with a stern look in his eyes. "You stop, when you sense the energy from me."

Aki concentrated her mind on her own energy and began to let her hands move closer to his fingers. Aki was almost startled when she sensed the great energy from his body. She had never felt like that before and had never thought it possible that she would sense his energy this easily. Leonardo had to hide a smile, when she stopped her movements. What she didn't know was that Leonardo was a master in controlling his own energy and he was able to make it either easy or hard for her to sense the energy from his soul. However, he knew that the first practicing exercises had to be easy otherwise, she would give up.

"Great Aki, you can feel the energy?"

"Yes, I can feel your soul," Aki smiled happily.

"Good, now we have to explore this energy. We have to try how far we can move away from each other without losing contact, okay?"

"This is going to help me to get a clear mind, right?"

"Among other things, yes," Leonardo nodded in response. "Master Splinter believed that it would help you to learn your magic faster and improve your fighting skills. It is important that you can sense your enemy. Master Splinter tried to show you the same thing in the dojo. When we played the attacker and the victim, remember?"

Aki nodded, as she understood why the old rat had taken her with his sons to the dojo. He had seen her difficulties with learning the lesson with so many people around her and knowing that they only had a little time on their hands, he had decided that Leonardo would be the best for the task as the blue-masked turtle was experienced with this kind of lessons. It was likely that Master Splinter had gotten the idea that she would learn it much faster, if she was the only student. Yet, Aki wondered, why the old rat hadn't done it himself and with a terrifying knowledge she had suddenly realised another reason why Splinter maybe hadn't suggested himself as her teacher.

"What is wrong Aki?" Leonardo asked as he noticed the shocked expression in her eyes.

"_We all know that we can never find love Aki. The possibility of a human getting in love with any of us is nearly impossible. Especially, because we can never be in the world above. We can never ask a woman to live in the sewers with us."_ Aki remembered Donatello's words, which made her even more confused as she thought about Splinter's decision. The old rat had definitely changed his opinion regarding Leonardo's love for her. Furthermore, it seemed like he wanted them to be together. Why? Had the old rat seen something that she hadn't seen herself? Aki couldn't figure out the answer. It was too confusing because she wasn't sure about what she was feeling at the moment. The closeness, which she had felt between them…

"Aki?" Leonardo asked again and took his hand under her chin. "What is the matter?"

Aki tried to answer him but she lost the words as she immediately discovered that he was too close to her. Her throat felt dry as salt paper. So many questions were thumbing in her head and she raised her gaze to look him in the eyes. Was he feeling the same bond between them? Probably, but how could she explain to him that this lesson was getting more complicated, than she had expected? When Aki didn't answer him, Leonardo shrugged his shoulders and continued with his teaching without knowing what chaos was inside of young woman in front of him.

"You have to be in a relaxing position with your arms and legs," Leonardo explained. "Try to concentrate your mind with the energy in your hands, so you with this energy alone can control your movements."

Slowly Leonardo moved his hand to the right and then to the left with Aki following his every move. Aki tried with all her strength to do as he said, but it was difficult to keep her mind clear, when her emotions were going crazy inside. Leonardo noticed her troubled look and wondered if he had done something wrong. Had she sensed his emotions for her?

However, even though they both were thinking of each other and their actions, none of them stopped the exercise. They were both stubborn enough to want to make this work. It wasn't only an exercise in feeling the soul but also an attempt to show one another that they could be in the same room together.

The practice wasn't a complete success. Aki made mistakes a couple of times, but she impressed Leonardo nonetheless. When he backed his hand, most of the times she would follow his movement and come closer with her hand, and when he pushed his hand towards the palm of her hand, then she would go back a little.

Leonardo tried to keep his breath steady and tried to control his emotions. He was so close that he almost could touch her. The blue-masked turtle had never believed that it would be possible for him to be near her without making a terrible mistake. However, he knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time before he wouldn't be able resist her anymore. It was with that thought in his mind that he decided to stop the training. He had to be in control of his emotions otherwise he would do something, which he definitely would regret.

"I think that it is enough training for today," he smiled and lowered his hands away from hers. "It is over midnight."

"So it is," Aki nodded and felt relief that he had been the one to stop the training. "Thank you, Leo."

"No problem," he smiled weakly but he hadn't the courage to look her in the eyes. "I want our friendship to continue Aki and I'm sorry that I have hurt you so much these past three weeks."

"It's okay," Aki said and noticed the sadness in his eyes.

Then she placed her hand on his face and with a gently move with her thumb, she caressed his chin. In the back of her head, a voice told her that she was doing something forbidden, but she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't bear to see the sorrow in his eyes, when she knew that the pain, which he was feeling, was because of his love for her. Leonardo immediately seized her caressing hand and held it tightly with his fingers.

"Don't," he whispered in a begging tone. "Please Aki, I can't…"

Yet, the situation was already out from their hands. They were no any longer in control of their emotions. Aki rose to meet him, and her other hand went to his shoulder as their lips touched. In one second, Leonardo had forgotten all about the prohibitions and he quickly closed the little space between them. The dearest treasure in his life was near him and he couldn't resist her. His strong arm was circling around her waist as his tongue slipped into her mouth.

Aki melted into him while she let him hold her as they kissed deeply. With hardly any effort, Leonardo pulled her even closer to his chest. He held her with both arms now, still locked in the passionate kiss. Aki felt warm inside as his tongue slowly and methodically circled her own. She rested her palm of her hands on his shoulders as he closed the kiss and pulled away slightly. She felt quite light-headed as she looked deeply into his eyes. Leonardo was searching, as he slipped his fingers underneath her shirt. Aki felt his hands on her skin, his small kisses on her neck and she breathed deeply, feeling the drugging effects taking control of her body.

"Oh Leo," she whispered.

These words seemed to get Leonardo back to reality, because he instantly let go of her. What had they done? In his eyes, Aki could see different emotions running through and she looked at him with regret written all over her face. She could feel his confusion, his shock and his fear. No wonder, they had done something that they both knew was forbidden for different reasons. Leonardo knew that it would a danger for him and his family if he got too involved with a human and Aki knew it would be a mistake to give Leonardo the wrong impression of her intentions. However, neither of them could close their eyes from the truth: she hadn't rejected him, as she should have done!

"Leonardo, I…," Aki began, but was quickly cut off.

"Aki, you don't have to explain anything," Leonardo said while he was trying to getting in control of his emotions. "I have to go."

"No, please Leonardo stay," Aki pleaded and stepped towards him.

"No, don't come near me," Leonardo warned and gazed at her with a wild look in his eyes. "This was a mistake and you know it."

"But Leo…,"

"Sorry Aki, but I need some air," Leonardo said and turned short to leave the room.

Aki didn't try to stop or follow him. She understood him. Leonardo needed some time to think and so did she. Donatello had once asked her, if she was in love with his older brother, where she had answered him that she wasn't sure. However, the passionate kiss with Leonardo had made her wonder, if she had more feelings for him than she had imagined. Aki gazed at the empty doorway, where Leonardo had disappeared. What if she was in love with him? Could they be able to have a life together? Aki sat down on the bed as she looked sadly down at her hands. She needed to think it through and then she had to give Leonardo a final response.

A/N: Well, what did you think about the chapter? Leonardo's heart is in total chaos, as he found out that Aki wasn't rejecting him at all! Still, nothing is certain yet and Rex is soon going to make some trouble :) Please feel welcome to share your opinions with me.


	19. A night in New York City

A/N: Well, I'm hating that it has taking me such a long time to get this chapter finished, but I have been so busy with school and all, so I didn't have the time to write much. It was a shame, since I got SO amazing review to my last chapter!! I was thrilled when I read them and I want to thank everyone who have shared their opinions with me. I'm so sorry that I haven't responded as I normally do, but the time has completely vanished for me. I also want to say a BIG thanks to Ramica, who is correcting the story for me. I'm so grateful for her help and can't ever thank her enough for her great help and support. I want to mention that I also had another reason for being late hehe… I got a new idea to a new story "Childhood memories", and I couldn't get the idea out of my head. A new turtle history, but it is _not_ a part of my turtle saga. Well that was probably enough talk from my part. Enjoy the chapter :)

The streets of New York were never empty. Even when it was late at night, with the pale moon shinning proudly above the roofs of the city, the streets were still full of life. The stars above, however, were faint and almost invisible against the streetlamps glorious light. Many of the apartments had turned dark with people sleeping safely inside in their beds, and yet the city never slept. It had turned to a different time for the night. Everywhere there were bars and discos filled with people, who was looking for having a good time. Yet, the streetlamps could only manage to give its' habitants a fake feeling of security. The light was consumed by the shadows, and in the dark alleys filled with garbage and used needles it wasn't impossible to see thugs running around. The deep darkness was the territory for the criminals.

A distant figure noticed silently the citizens of New York wandering around in the streets. The person wasn't paying attention to the people on the ground and no one was looking up in the sky. Why should they? It wasn't normal to see somebody on the roof of the city and if there was, then they didn't really care about it.

The figure travelled with breakneck speed across the variant rooftops, leaping over deadly gaps and riding laundry-lines like death-slides. The figure, who seemed more like a shadow, surfed down the edges of the buildings, using dangerous moves that most people would call making a suicide attempt. For the three other brothers, who knew this person, it would be a common and even a fun thing to do, as they often had played in these facilities. No wonder, since the rooftops served as their place to spend some time together without being seen by the humans. The forth brother, who was alone at this moment, didn't actually care about being seen. The leader, who normally thought every situation over in his mind before he actually went through with them, was in total chaos of his feelings.

"Darkness gives the ninja power," a voice reminded him, as he remained his distance in the shadows.

Though he didn't care of being seen, his body moved him as his father, his master, had taught him so many years ago. No matter what had happened, Leonardo was still a master in make his presence unnoticed and should people ever get the idea to turn their face toward the roof, then they wouldn't see him.

Leonardo was certain in his mind where he was going, even though he didn't consider the way at all. His feelings were only circling around one person only, the most important person in his heart, Aki. Just the very thought of her emerald eyes made him swallow hardly as he recalled what had happened between them.

He could still feel her soft lips and her body in his arms, as he had kissed her. Without thinking, his fingers had found their way underneath her shirt. Leonardo had felt his heart beating even faster as he had felt his hands on her skin, his small kisses on her neck. She had been so sweet and soft to touch and he hadn't been able to resist her.

As Leonardo arrived closer toward his goal, he began to slow down. He was going to his sanctuary, the old water tower, which had been his personal hiding spot on the surface. Leonardo stopped a few steps from the entrance, as his feet wouldn't take him closer. He was tired and devastated as he felt that his heart was ripping him apart. Never had the blue-masked turtle felt so confused and so alone.

Leonardo sat down on the hard surface. With his head bowed in shame of his emotions, Leonardo turned his eyes firmly downcast to the ground, as he felt deeply ashamed. He didn't say a word and the silence thick as a brick wall around him. Why had he made such a mistake? Not only was it a terrible failure, it was also something that Master Splinter had forbidden him to do for the sake of the clan. He had brought _dishonour_ to his clan, his family!

Leonardo felt horrible inside as he recalled all his memories from the first day, when he had cast his eyes on Aki. His first thought about the young woman, and how she had affected him. She had completely spell bounded him with her beauty and her personality, but that wasn't an excuse to let his guards down. Yet, he had felt powerless, as she had kissed him back. Leonardo breathed quickly as his thought went back to the meeting with his master.

"_She isn't in love with me and it isn't going to happen either," Leonardo said and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm only hurting myself believing otherwise."_

"_Even though she did love you, it would complicate things," Master Splinter nodded and stood up, supported by his cane. "I'm sorry my son but I had to warn you, before it was too late."_

Master Splinter had known that it was possible that Aki actually might share his feelings, but his father had also realized that it would merely be a new danger to the clan. Leonardo couldn't understand why Master Splinter ever had suggested the idea that his oldest son should have the privilege to teach her how to feel the soul. Leonardo wasn't stupid, as he knew that his father had a purpose, but what? He couldn't figure out if it had been a test for him to stay strong in front of the young woman without ignoring her, but if that was the case, then he had failed miserably.

Leonardo was despising himself for his actions. He was never the one to loose control, but she had caressed his chin so gently that he couldn't stop himself. And now Aki knew his feelings for her and… That meant that she had to leave. "No," Leonardo hissed and shook his head wildly and placed his hands on each side of his head. "No, she mustn't leave."

Leonardo felt a big lump in his throat. He could no longer imagine his life without her and his sorrow felt even greater as he felt the emptiness coming closer towards him. He looked down at the ground, as he pictured every inches of her face in his mind. Silently he touched the ground gently, as if he could touch her. His eyes closed in pain, and fresh tears began rolling down his cheeks.

Furthermore, he kept thinking of the fact that she hadn't rejected him, as she should have done. Did she love him?

Suddenly Leonardo wished deeply that Donatello had invented a time machine so he was able to change the past, but that was an impossible solution to his problems. Leonardo looked at the stars above him and breathed heavily. How could he ever face his family again? How could he face her?

Leonardo clenched his teeth as he frustrated knocked his fists hard against the ground in despair with hot tears streaming from his eyes. So many questions without any answers. Leonardo cried his heart out, as he felt incredibly alone.

"WHY?" he yelled out in the air. "Why can't I stop loving her?"

The heaven didn't answer him and he wasn't surprised. At this point even the world seemed to be against him.

Raphael yawned as he stretched his tired body. He turned around in his hammock, but he had realised that it would be impossible for him to get some sleep. Normally he didn't have any trouble with sleeping but his mind was troubled. Raphael hated to admit it, but the whole incident with Master Splinter's weird behaviour had scared him. His father had never behaved like that before.

Raphael didn't know if his brother had noticed it or not, but his father's eyes had been empty, like his mind hadn't been there at all. It worried the hot-headed turtle a lot, especially when he knew that Rex was out there. Somehow, he couldn't ignore the thought telling him that she had something to do with his father's weird behaviour.

"Grr, this isn't going to help anything," Raphael hissed angrily as he placed his feet on the floor. "I'm never going to sleep if I keep thinking of that bitch. I'll better have something to drink."

Raphael's bedroom was special compared to his brothers' rooms. He had decorated it very roughly. Raphael had always had in mind that his enemies were near him and therefore he had placed his hammock close to the door just in case, if something happened in the lair. Michelangelo had once joked about his room looking like a fitness room, and it wasn't far from the truth. Raphael loved his workout, as he knew that it would make him even stronger. Therefore, there were mostly training supplies in his room. On the walls, hung shelf with different kind of weights and in the right corner hung his sandbag, which Master Splinter had given him so he could let go of his frustrations on the bag instead of his brothers.

Raphael turned his gaze to an ice hockey mask, which was hanging on a narrow pillar in the back of the room. It was a mask, which Casey had given him on his birthday as a memory of their first encounter. Raphael smiled wryly before he turned around to leave his room. Yeah, his friend could be crazy sometimes, but he was a great person nonetheless with a good heart.

Raphael stretched his arms as he stepped out on the upper level of the lair. Then he noticed a figure in the corner of his eyes, and he turned his face down to the centre of the room. Raphael swallowed hardly at the sight of the young woman. Was she crying? For a moment Raphael wondered, if he should go down to her or not. Maybe she wanted to be alone. With a little shake of his head, Raphael dismissed his negative thoughts. He could at least ask her and if she needed somebody to talk with, then he would open his ears for her.

Aki felt awful. It was like there was a big hole inside, where her heart used to be. Her hand was holding tightly into her chest, as she looked down at her picture in the water. Aki had sat down near the edge of the small lake after the incident with Leonardo. She knew that she had done the right thing letting him go after they had kissed. He needed to have his thoughts in peace and so did she. Aki had never felt so confused before. At this point, she really had to consider the fact that she might had more feelings for the blue-masked turtle than she had thought in the first place.

She had always considered him as her friend. Even when he was ignoring her most of the time, she had been stubborn enough to try to keep that friendship alive. Aki had never considered the thought that she had gotten so angry with him because she felt more for him than a friend. On the other hand, wasn't she lying to herself? Wasn't it the simple truth that she simply had ignored her feelings? Even Donatello had indicated that she might feel more for Leonardo than she was supposed to. Aki sniffed and removed some of the tears, which had rolled down her cheeks. Even if she had disguised the truth from herself, she had to face her situation. When she met Leonardo again, she had to give him an answer, or else they would destroy each other, hurting themselves with their feelings.

"Aki?" a hoarse voice asked worried behind her

Aki didn't turn at the sound of Raphael's voice. She didn't find the courage to face him, as she felt that he would find the truth just by looking at her. Aki cleared her throat, as she rose from the floor continued gazing at her reflection in the water.

"Hi Raph," she greeted and licked her bottom lip which had swallowed up while she had cried.

"Are you okay?" Raphael asked more directly than his intention was.

"What?" Aki said and tried to sound surprised. "Of course I'm okay."

"I'm a turtle and not a mole," Raphael remarked and crossed his arms with a serious expression in his face. "I'm not blind, Aki. I saw your tears."

"Did you?" Aki sniffed again, she wiped the last tears away from her eyes and shot a rebellious look at the red-masked turtle. "Well, it is none of your business anyway. I'm fine, okay?"

"Fine, huh?" Raphael nodded and bowered his head, so his mouth came near her left ear. "Do you take me for an idiot or something?"

"It was nothing," Aki tried, but then gave up when she saw the worried look in his eyes. After all, he was merely trying to help her and she knew that. "I have done a terrible mistake, Raphael."

"Who hasn't?" he remarked dryly, but his eyes were serious. "Can you tell me what the matter is?"

"No," Aki refused and could have bitten her tongue off, as she noticed the hurt look in his face. "No sorry Raph… I didn't mean to…"

"And you didn't," Raphael cut her off sharply but he felt slightly irritated that she didn't trust him enough to share her secrets.

"It is just that I need to think this through," Aki explained and cast a sidelong glance at the water. "I can't talk about it to anyone yet."

"And I don't expect you to do so," Raphael said.

"So it doesn't bother you?" Aki asked confused as it wasn't normal for Raphael to let a discussion go that easily.

"Of course it does," Raphael remarked sincerely with a wry smile on his face. "But I won't force you to tell me at this point."

"Why not?" Aki asked, even more confused than before.

Raphael signed deeply as he studied her face carefully. It was, when he had seen the tears in her face that he finally had realized that he had more feelings for Aki than he liked to admit. The desire to take her into his arms was strong, and Raphael suddenly got a little understanding for his older brother's behaviour. As Leonardo, Raphael knew very well that he couldn't reveal his true emotions for her, but unlike his older brother Raphael never had in his mind that it was impossible being with a human. Actually, Raphael had gotten to that point that he and his brothers would never find love, if they didn't dare to take the chance. Therefore, it wasn't that reason which kept Raphael from telling her about his feelings for her. It was just not the right time. Aki was sad and Raphael knew that she needed to get her mind away from the terrible thoughts, which was haunting her.

"You're thinking too much," Raphael concluded and ignored the question, which she had given him.

"Bad habit," Aki remarked with irony in her voice. "But I shouldn't have done…"

"Stop right there!" Raphael ordered sharply and shook his head at the confused look in her face. "You're not listening lady."

"But.., " Aki tried again.

"No, stop!" Raphael said and pointed accusingly at her with a seriously look in his eyes. "You're thinking again."

"Of course I am," Aki stated and gazed slightly irritated at him. "Come on Raph. I can't just stop thinking…"

"Yes, you can," Raphael interrupted with a wry smile. "And I can show you how."

"What?" Aki asked and felt even more confused than before.

"Come with me," Raphael said and waved at her to follow him.

Aki glanced at the red-masked turtle with raised eyebrows, as she was unsure whether she should go with him or not. Then she turned her eyes to the small lake. Slowly the image of Leonardo began to appear on the surface and Aki gasped. Then she nodded in agreement. Raphael smiled in content, as he noticed that she had decided to come. He walked towards the elevator, but then she stopped. Aki knew where it was leading, but she had never been there, as she was afraid that Rex would come. She looked at Raphael with almost fear in her eyes as she knew that he wanted them to get up to the surface.

"I can't do this, Raph. You know, I can't," she said and crossed her arms in defiance. "I won't go up."

"Why not?" Raphael asked, as if he hadn't realized the big risks of taking Aki topside.

"You know that Rex is able to detect me," Aki reminded him. "I'm amazed that she hasn't been able to find your lair, when she knows where I am. Nevertheless, it will be dangerous for both of us, if we go up to the surface. Then there is a chance that she might find us."

"Yes, maybe," Raphael nodded and his eyes got serious. "Look Aki, I know every way in the sewers and I know my city. If Rex is coming, then we will get away as the devil himself was after us. She won't find us."

"I don't know," Aki mumbled and felt insecure about the whole situation.

"Look Aki, you need to get some fresh air," Raphael said and smirked. "And I know just the way to get you stop thinking of you problems."

"You do?" Aki asked doubtfully

"I do," Raphael said determinately with a big smile on his face.

"Wahoo, this is great!" Aki screamed and laughed happily. "More speed!"

Raphael nodded and speeded up with his hands. He glanced at the great vehicle beneath him and smiled wryly as he recalled Aki's expression when she had seen his red motorcycle. "You can't be serious," she had said as he had walked closer to this wonderful machine. "Of cause I am," he had said sincerely and had smiled to her. "Let me show you my baby."

Raphael loved to ride through New York City on his little red killing machine, as this was his way to let out all the anger and frustration that was inside his heart. He loved to feel a special kind of freedom as he almost flew on the streets. There was no doubt in his mind that riding on his motorcycle was life and he had spend countless hours with Casey on the streets. It was Donatello, who had made this machine for them all to use, when the crazy robot Nano had arrived to the city, but he had admitted the same day that his thoughts had been on Raphael, when he had gotten the idea.

This wonderful motorcycle was a great piece of work, and Raphael was grateful that he had such a genius brother. Maybe he didn't understood Donatello well, as his younger brother's thought on many things, where Raphael couldn't follow him. Yet, even though they were different, Raphael loved his brother and was actually grateful that Donatello had a big brain. How many times hadn't it been Donny, who had saved their ass?

While Raphael was thinking at his brother, Aki's thoughts were merely concentrating on the ride. She had never believed that Raphael had in mind for her to take a trip with him on his motorcycle. At first, she had been uncertain whether she would join him or not, but then again she needed to get away from her own thoughts. Raphael's shell had been a problem as it turned out that it was impossible for her to get her arms around him. Instead she had to take a fast grip abound his belt, while she silently hoped that the belt would last.

Aki loved to feel the freedom giving air to her lungs, and she finally got the chance to let her mind get empty as she let herself sense the great joy of the speed as they rushed through the city. As they drove through Central Park, Raphael decided that it was time for a break. Therefore, he slowed down and drove into a nearby ally, as he thought that it maybe was the right time to ask Aki why she was feeling sad. A little smile flickered across Aki's face as she placed her feet on the ground.

"Thanks Raph. This was just what I needed," Aki sighed relieved as she cast a sidelong glance at the red motorcycle. "I had never believed that I could feel so…"

Suddenly she felt like she couldn't describe what she was feeling. Aki took a deep breath as she recalled the sense of speed as they had drove though the Central Park. Aki bit her bottom lip, lost in her own thoughts, and her smile fainted away as she glanced down at her cold fingers with water in her eyes. Raphael studied her face carefully and felt a great need to ask her what was brothering her. However, a little voice inside him told him that this wasn't the right time. If she needed somebody to talk to, then she knew that he would listen to her. Aki gave a faintly smile as she noticed his look.

"Free?" he suggested as he took the helm of his head. "I know the feeling."

"I wouldn't say free, more like peace in my mind," Aki stated and nodded a little. "It takes your thoughts away."

"Yeah," Raphael agreed and clapped the motorbike gently. "Don made this bike for us all to use, but especially for me, and I have never been more grateful in my life. It isn't only because of the high speed driving…"

"Nah, really?" Aki asked in disbelief and her emerald eyes sparkled with a teasing glint. "I would never have thought that I would see a deeper side of you, my friend."

"You don't," Raphael smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders. "But this is one of my ways to stop thinking on my own problems, you know?"

"Do you have problems, Raphael?" Aki asked in wonder as she noticed the sincere look in his face.

"Who don't?" Raphael remarked and looked seriously at her. "Don't you?"

"Sometimes," Aki nodded and studied her helm carefully as if she was searching for something that wasn't there. "Sometimes I don't even want to think about it."

"But you will never forget," Raphael pointed out dryly and placed his hand on his plastron, where his heart was. "Believe me… I have tried."

"Have you ever done something that you regret?" Aki asked and looked curiously at the red-masked turtle.

"Yes I have," Raphael admitted and looked with shame down at his feet. He couldn't understand why he wanted to share this personal information with her, but somehow he knew that she wouldn't tell anyone and understand him. "I hate my temper sometimes."

"Why?" Aki asked and raised her eyebrows and smiled a little, when she saw the shocked expression in his face. "Sorry, but I have seen your temper Raph, and I have seen your fights with Leonardo, and yet I can't see why you should regret it. It is your way to get your frustration out."

"Yeah, but I regret it when I go too far," Raphael told her with honesty in his voice. "There was one day, where I was so close to hurt Mikey really bad. If my family hadn't stopped me that day, then…"

"Oh my God," Aki exclaimed and placed her hand comforting on his arm.

"We all do something that we regret," Raphael remarked and gave a little shake of his head. "At that point we aren't different at all."

"Sometimes I think at myself as a monster," she mumbled gloomily as she gazed at Central Park with sadness in her emerald eyes.

"How can you even believe that?" Raphael asked her and felt like something hard had hit him in his stomach.

"I had lived in this world of magic, and I don't know what to believe anymore. The horrors that I have seen…," Aki tried to explain but suddenly felt unable to speak.

"Aki, you aren't a monster," Raphael stated firmly and squeezed her arm lightly. "If there any monsters here, it would be me."

"Hehe," Aki laughed a little and then smiled at him. "Well, I can't argue with you there."

"Raphael, I…," Aki began, but stopped when she noticed two person walking past the alley. Raphael nodded, as he understood her.

"Follow me," he said and his hand seized for the nearest fire escape. "If there is something that we turtles have learned is to hide in the shadow away from the bright surface. I know, It sounds like a bunch of the whole Leo speech about protection and such, but still he has a point."

Raphael tried to smile encourage at her, but again he noticed that the great sorrow had arrived in her beautiful emerald eyes. Raphael wondered if it had been on his mention of his older brother. Aki didn't say anything but followed the red-masked turtle, as he had told her.

"Here we can speak in private," Raphael confide to her. "People don't normally go on top of the roofs in the middle of the night."

Aki sat down on the edge of the roof with her eyes starring down at the green place in front her. Everything felt chaotic inside her heart, and yet she felt calm just looking at the park. The colours of the nature shining from the streetlights made her relax a little. Raphael studied her face carefully, trying to read her reaction, but then he shook his head a little. He didn't have a clue what was bothering her, but he hoped silently deep inside his heart that she might share the pain in her heart with him.

"Rex is too powerful," Aki said suddenly, after a few minutes of silence. "She can't be defeated by me. I haven't completed my training. How could I ever think that I could beat her?"

"Because you have the powers to do it," Raphael replied seriously and sat down next to her, looking sincerely at her. "And because you have the will to do it. You're fighting for those, who you loved deeply Aki. And love is the most powerful tool of all."

"What?" Aki suddenly felt confused, as she never had imagined that she would hear these words coming out from the tempered turtle.

"Look Aki…," Raphael heaved a big sigh because he found the courage to continue. "I have the philosophy that the reality, the world, is hard and cruel, and therefore I react the same way. No one is ever allowed to get the chance to hurt me neither physically or emotionally. Yet, I can't deny or pretend that I don't care for my family. Actually, I love my father and my brothers a lot, and this is the main reason why we fight against our enemies, to protect our family. I just wanted to tell you that…"

"I know what you mean," Aki said and a little smile flickered across her face. "And I really appreciate it… I must admit that I have grown stronger since I met your family. I have learned to focus on my mind instead of my powers, which has made great improvement in my use of magic, but still Rex is one of The Five Elements. She will not be an easy task."

"I do not fully understand how she or her predecessor could grow so strong…," Raphael began, but then trailed off.

"No, please continue," Aki encouraged and turned her face from the sight of Central Park to gaze at the red-masked turtle. "What is it that you don't understand?"

"I don't know," Raphael said doubtfully. "It is just that me, Mikey and Donny was talking together for three weeks ago after you had told your story… But Donny and Mikey didn't want to bother you with our questions since it hurt you to talk about it."

"But you wanted to ask me?" Aki asked and rose questioning her eyebrows. "You shouldn't hide your memories inside Aki or they will destroy you," Raphael said and suddenly laughed. "Ha, listen to me… Now I'm almost sound like Master Splinter or Leonardo."

By the mention of Leonardo's name, Aki blushed, and she avoided Raphael's curious eyes. When she didn't say anything, Raphael continued: "I know from my own heart that anger, sorrow and hate are dangerous to keep locked inside."

"And yet you keep doing so," Aki remarked with a certain smile and continued, before he got the time to protest. "You still keep your secrets tight, Raph, but that is okay with me. I understand you."

"You do?" Raphael asked in doubt.

"Yes, I do," Aki nodded and gave him an ironic smile. "I probably do, because we share the same nature regarding hiding our own feelings from the world. Then we can't be hurt."

"Yeah," Raphael agreed.

"But I need to face my past and if you have any questions to ask, then ask me now. I can handle it," Aki said with a sincere look in her face.

"We couldn't understand how Rex was able to hide her intentions from The Element of Water. You mentioned that your leader was able to read thoughts, so we got a bit confused."

"I actually don't know how Rex or her mother was able to do that," Aki admitted honestly. "The order was frightened when Rex's mother attacked the emperor's palace, but they couldn't kick them out from the organisation. That would have been even worse."

"How?" Raphael asked in doubt and shook his head a little, as he didn't seem to understand why The Element of Five had chosen to keep The Element of Fire, when they suspected that something was wrong.

"I had the same expression on my face, when our leader told me the exact same thing Raph," Aki said and looked at him with sadness in her emerald eyes. "Why would they keep a mad woman who had a great obsession about the flutes when they knew that it would be a dangerous risk?"

"I bet you have the answer," Raphael remarked dryly.

Aki smiled wryly at his comment. "Have you ever heard the expression: Keep you friends close, but your enemies closer?"

"It is ringing a bell somewhere, yeah," Raphael nodded. "So you're telling me that the order choose to keep Rex's mother inside their organisation because they wanted to keep an eye on her?"

"Rex's mother was dangerous, but she would have been even more dangerous, if she had walked outside in the world."

"Why didn't you just remove her powers?" Raphael asked.

"They did. Rex's mother didn't have any powers, after she attacked the palace, but a human can still be dangerous without having any magical powers," Aki pointed out."

"And Rex got the powers instead?"

"Yes, when one of The Five Element is removed from the powers, it can only occur by simple removing or death, the full extend of their powers will pass on to the one of their descendent, who has been chosen to contain the magic gift. Rex was the only child in the family of fire but she had the magical aura and was therefore the next in line to become the Element of Fire, but for her own safety, Rex was removed to prevent all contact with her mother."

"But you suspected that Rex and her mother still saw each other?" Raphael asked, when she didn't continue.

"Yes, I did," Aki confirmed and gazed down at her hands. "I knew that sometimes Rex was walking around alone. Sometimes, we had trouble finding her. Yet, our leader wouldn't listen to me, as she hadn't seen any sign of bad behaviour in Rex's personality. The Element of Water became angry with me when I told her that I suspected that Rex had killed her mother."

"Woah, slow down," Raphael said and looked confused at her. "You never told that Rex's mother died."

"Sorry," Aki apologized with a serious look in her eyes. "Suddenly during a night for almost a year go, Rex's mother died of a heart attack. The order didn't question her death at all, since she wasn't a young woman at the time, but I sensed that something wrong was going on."

"How?"

"I noticed the wicked grin and triumphing look in Rex's face at the funeral. It told me that she was thrilled about her mother's death. Why I don't know, but Rex attacked our headquarter a few months later," Aki explained and bit her bottom lip, as she looked frustrated at the red-masked turtle. "It is hard for me to talk about… It hurts to look in the past."

"I know what you mean," Raphael began, but then trailed off.

He sighed deeply as he felt a great desire to tell Aki that he would love to hear about her and her past. Raphael suddenly felt doubt in his heart. Was it even right for him to do this? Raphael didn't felt frightened by his own feelings. He had been sincere and admitted to himself that he felt more for Aki than he supposed to. Yet, he was nervous about the fact that he didn't care about the dangerous risk of getting involved with a woman.

Raphael knew that his own father was against his sons falling in love, but Raphael had decided a long time ago that if he had the chance of finding love, he would do it without hesitation. Raphael knew in his mind that it was wrong going after Aki, since Leonardo cared greatly for her, but he couldn't see why it should stop him. Aki had never said to any of them that she also loved Leonardo, so Raphael still had a chance… Moreover, he would take it regarding the sorrow that Leonardo might feel later. Raphael didn't try to fool himself, saying that love was possible, but he also knew that if he didn't try, then he would never find love at all.

"What happened at the headquarter?" Raphael asked when the silence became too heavy between them.

"Rex had placed several bombs under the building," Aki explain and tears began rolling down her cheeks. "It was completely awful. It was on the birthday of our leader, so everyone was gathered in the grand meeting hall. Rex had asked to speak with The Element of Water in her office, so we all knew that we had to wait a couple of minutes before they would arrive. Suddenly the whole building exploded right under their feet… No one survived in there. It hurts so much thinking of them. They were my family!"

Aki screamed in pain, and Raphael didn't consider his reaction when he took her into his arms, comforting her. She needed to tell about her past, they both knew that, and Raphael stroke his hand kindly over her hair, as he pulled her even closer, letting her know that she was safe. Aki cried her pain out. The great loss of her family was haunting her mind and she felt like a thousand knives were stabbing through her heart, but she couldn't stop it anymore. Raphael felt the water from her tears rolling down his own plastron. He had never thought that she had been able to hide so much pain inside of her. Aki cried in despair, releasing some of the sorrow that was trying to destroy her.

"How did you survive?" Raphael finally asked when she calmed down a little.

"I was worried about The Element of Water. Since I never trusted Rex, I didn't like the thought of her being alone with our leader. I had just arrived at her office, when the meeting hall exploded," Aki told with a shimmering voice. "I was thrown back in the hall way, but I hurried towards the office as soon as I got up from the floor. Nevertheless, I was a coward. As I could hear that Rex was still in there, I didn't dare to go in the room. I kept hiding in the room next to the office, hearing the loud screams from our leader, as she was being tortured. Yet, I did nothing, but hiding, until the silence came and Rex had left the room. With sadness in my heart, I opened the door and the sight in there was… was…"

Aki couldn't talk, she merely cried her pain out, and Raphael understood that she still was unable to describe what she had seen in the room. Yet, he could perfectly imagine the scenery of their tortured leader. Aki had once told them that she found their leader covered in blood, and Raphael remembered clearly the terrible remains of the burned storeowner.

"Let it out," Raphael said, but felt a bit uneasy about the whole situation. He wasn't exactly used to be the kind solid rock. However, he could help but liking the fact what Aki had turned to him and not Leonardo.

"She died in my arms Raph," Aki whispered with her face all wet from the many tears, which was rolling down her cheeks. "She was scared… She didn't want to die."

"Nobody does," Raphael commented dryly and softly removed some of the tears from her face. "But I understand what you meant."

"She warned me about Rex and she explained to me where she had hidden the book with the history and secret spells of The Five Elements. She also revealed to me where the flutes were and told me to find them before Rex."

"Where was Rex?" Raphael asked in wonder.

"I don't know where she was. Probably on her way to America, since she now knew the locations of the flutes. Nevertheless, I should have attacked her, when I had the chance. That is the thing that I regret the most."

"Then you would have died in vain," Raphael remarked and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Then you wouldn't have gotten the chance to revenge the murder of your family."

"You're probably right," Aki nodded and sniffed. "I'm a complete failure… I wasn't able to protect the flutes from her."

"Stop right there lady," Raphael burst out sharply and glanced a bit irritated at her. "I don't want to hear that you think yourself as a failure because you're not! So quit the negative attitude of yours, because you can defeat Rex, Aki. You just have to believe in yourself and feel the inner power and strength, which lies deeply in your heart."

"Do you really believe so?" Aki asked in doubt.

"I know so," Raphael responded confident and smiled a little at her with a serious look in his eyes. "Aki, we can all see the power inside you. We know that you're strong enough."

"Thanks Raph," Aki whispered and hugged him tight in gratitude for his kind words.

Raphael felt a thick lump in his throat as he suddenly felt the closeness between them. He closed his eyes, savouring the gentle touch of her arms around him while he silently ran his fingers over her hair. How could he love this woman so much? He hadn't asked to fall in love with a human and especially not the one that his older brother also had feelings for, but it didn't matter. No matter it was Aki's decision if she wanted him or Leonardo. The worst part could be that she didn't want him or his brother, yet Raphael knew that he would regret it if he didn't try at all.

Aki felt his chest rose and fell as he breathed deep. It was nice feeling the comfort and warmth from another person. Nevertheless, she felt a sting in her heart, as she wished that it had been Leonardo holding his arms around her. Aki bit her bottom lip in shame, as she was grateful for Raphael's support and comfort. He was a good friend to her and yet she couldn't stop thinking about Leonardo.

"Aki…," Raphael began, but suddenly he trailed off.

"What is it Raph?" Aki asked and raised her eyebrows questioning.

With a frowned forehead, Raphael was looking thoughtfully down at Central Park. Something had moved down there behind one of the tree but it disappeared so quickly that Raphael thought for a minute that he maybe just was having some kind of illusion. However, he could feel that all his senses were on alert. Something seemed wrong and he didn't like it. The light from the streets lamps didn't revealed anything but there was suddenly too quiet. Even the shadows from the alley were still. There was no sound, and no movement. Raphael didn't breathe for a moment, as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Then he heard something.

"What is the matter Raph?" Aki asked as she became more nervous by the distance in his eyes.

"Can't you hear it?"

Aki was surprised by his words, as she hadn't heard anything. Yet, she knew that Raphael was sincere with his remark and she swallowed hardly as she tried to focus her mind to listen more carefully. Then she also heard the sound, a sweet melody coming from the distance. The melody seemed soft, gently and yet it felt sad like a song from a heartbroken. Aki felt her heart beat faster by the light tones in the melody as she could sense the sorrow in the melody, which reminded her of her own situation. Suddenly Aki gasped, letting go of Raphael's arm as she rose up from the ground to gaze over the park. The sweet melody was definitely coming from a flute.

"No," she whispered in horror as she saw the sight beneath her. "It can't be happening. Not now."

"I'm afraid so," Raphael said dryly.

Down in Central Park little monkeys were coming out from their hiding spots. The poor animals seemed like being in trance as they walked similarly out from the shadows and into the street light. Raphael had never thought that he would see so many monkeys together at the same time, there were hundreds of them. It was like being in a jungle.

Aki couldn't believe that it was real. This was a sign of her worst nightmare. The different kind of species told her that Rex had used the flutes a long time to get so many monkeys at the same spot. They were in all different kinds, shapes and colour. She recognizes orang-utans, baboons, and small gorillas among them, but there were also other species that she didn't know.

The animals moved closer towards the building where they were standing. Somewhere Aki could hear screams from a nearby girl who was frightened by the sight of the monkeys. Aki swallowed hardly as she had no doubt that the animals had her and Raphael as a target. Raphael watched silently the monkeys, who eventually slowed down until they stopped right beneath them with their faces looking directly at the rooftop.

"Okay, this is scary," Aki said and Raphael noticed that her voice shivered a little.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a clue how to comfort her. He had quickly realized that they were in trouble, as there was no doubt that Rex knew that they were here. Raphael clenched irritated his teeth. It was just his bad luck. Finally, he had a time to talk with Aki, a chance to get to know her better, and of course, it had to go wrong. Frustrated the red-masked turned around, wandering near the edges of rooftop, while he tried to find an escape, before it was too late.

"Well?" Aki asked curious, when he came back.

"Bad news," Raphael took a deep breath and sighed. "They have surrounded the whole building."

"What are we going to do?"

"Waiting probably," Raphael replied and glanced at the creatures on the ground. "Like they do."

"What are they waiting for?" Aki studied the monkey and felt a cold running down her spine. "God, these monkeys gives me the creeps."

"They are waiting for orders," Raphael said and looked serious at her. "And unless you can fly, then we have to wait."

"Is there no other way?" Aki asked unsurely and raised her eyebrows questioning.

"We can always try fighting our way through," Raphael said and grinned. "I have always been fond of a challenge."

"No wonder," Aki shook her head a little. "But I think that they are too many."

Raphael gazed at her with a stiff smile. There was a tension in air, and all Raphael's senses were alarming him of a nearby danger. Suddenly he reached for his belt, brushing his hand against his sais for reassurance. Confident that his was fully armed, and therefore prepared to fight, he looked into the night, trying to find a solution to their problem. Raphael hated that he felt like eyes were watching him.

"Raph?" Aki's voice sounded worried.

"Some of the monkeys are gone."

"Gone? But how the…" Raphael stopped immediately his sentence, as he again heard the sweet sound of the flute playing from above. He turned his face towards the sky and noticed that it was lined with dark figures. Within a second, he had seized his weapon, prepared to meet his opponents. They clung to the roof of the two nearby buildings and lined the walls. Raphael didn't have a chance to try to guess how many there were as the monkey didn't give him time to think. They acted. He reacted.

Aki was aware of the situation and she had also her weapon ready as they monkey attacked at full speed. Raphael spun into a roundhouse kick at one of the baboons, sending it to the floor. Some nearby monkey yelled out a terrifying scream and attacked him wildly. Raphael felt the connection and saw one of the orang-utans stumble backwards.

Aki spun around, kicking a little grey monkey away from her. She used her Tessen skilfully, carefully not trying to cut any of the animals. She didn't want to hurt them, as she knew that they didn't attack at their own free will. Aki went to the side and kicked into her attacker's ribs, already turned to face another attack. Raphael spun the sai in his hand and used the blunted handle to avoid a smashing attack. Then he swung his arm sideways, catching the sides of the heads of two monkeys and smashed their two heads hard against each other, making them falling unconscious to the floor.

He didn't give himself time to think, but somewhere inside of him, Raphael knew that they would not win this fight. There were too many of them. He had fought against unbeatable odds before, but he was worried about Aki, and he knew that running would be the best choice. Yet, he couldn't stop fighting. Even knowing that he would lose, he had to fight. It wasn't _in _him to do anything _but _fight. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he had to wonder what they would do. Maybe they'd just kill them both on the spot. He doubted it. More likely, they were trying to keep them busy until Rex arrived.

Raphael felt bones crack as he attacked several of the monkeys around him. Raphael knew better than to over-exert himself, and he wasn't breathing hard yet. Nevertheless, he could still feel the exhaustion setting in. It wasn't a physical exhaustion. It was the knowledge that no matter how many of them they took out, there would be more to take their place. Suddenly, he felt pain sear through my left arm as one of the monkeys received the chance to bite him with its teeth. Raphael cursed and threw the damn monkey away from him. Aki noticed the attack and moved closer to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked while she knocked down her opponent.

"Yes, it was just a stupid monkey who had confused me for being a banana," Raphael said and jumped to the side to avoid a new furious attack.

Aki nodded slightly, but inside she was worried about him. However, she didn't have the time to think it through before she was attacked from the side. Raphael tried in the meantime to keep his focus on the fight. The scorching pain in his arm was annoying but it was getting difficult to get a clear overview. Many of the monkeys had been thrown to the ground and still they kept coming, determined to fight to the end. Raphael's heart was beating faster every minute and he could hear the sound of his breathing ring in his ears. This couldn't continue. They would get tired eventually and then loose.

"Raph, look, the monkeys are leaving," Aki noticed, as she helped him knock down his opponent.

Raphael gazed around the site and noticed that she was right. However, the monkeys didn't move far away. They merely turned back to their previous positions before they attacked from the nearby building. Raphael lowered his sais, but he didn't let go of them. Inside he had the feeling that this fight wasn't over. It has just begun.

The soft melody of the flute sounded again, flowing mildly through the air, and both Aki and Raphael had the feeling that they could suspect the worst. Then an enormous roar was coming from the left side of the rooftop and Aki bit nervously her bottom lip, as she knew that someone badly had turned up from the fire escape. Raphael gasped as he watched the creature come closer. It was a huge black gorilla with a furious and mad glint in its brown eyes.

"What the shell?" Raphael burst out and a smile flickered across his face. "You and Hun is one of a kind. You're just the uglier one."

Then the gorilla attacked. The resembles to his old enemy Hun wasn't far off. Hun, who was one of Shredder's closest minions, shared the same strength and body structure as the huge black gorilla. The beast roared once more as it raised its big hands to hit the red-masked turtle. Raphael felt the move without needing to see it and with perfect accuracy, he raised his weapons to catch prevent the attack. The palms of the gorillas hands caught between his sais, and Raphael kicked at him.

"And you smell as bad as Hun does," Raphael remarked with sarcasm.

Aki was about to ask Raphael, who Hun was, when the gorilla turned its attention to her. Aki new perfectly that she didn't have much chance fighting the gorilla with her fan, but she knew enough about martial art to fight the mad beast. She quickly twirled out of the way of the gorilla's attack and spun around to kick the gorilla towards Raphael.

Raphael gladly accepted her offer and fought fiercely with the animal for all of thirty seconds. Raphael and Aki had their advantages. They were both moving quickly doing special moves, so the gorilla didn't have the time to see the attacks. The problem was that it didn't involved close combat, since they knew that this gorilla would be able to smash them down in one sec, if it got the chance. Aki jumped back to avoid being hit by the gorilla.

The animal turned to Raphael again, coming closer than he was comfortable with, and he ducked to avoid the deadly arms. Still crouched, Raphael saw his chance to make the next attack as he tried to hook the gorilla's leg with his foot. However, the gorilla hands were faster. It grabbed around Raphael's foot and swung him around in a circle before throwing him across the rooftop into a corner. The entire thing took no more than a second.

Aki needed to help Raphael and she tried to run towards the beast. The gorilla roared in anger and tried to hit her with its arm. Aki jumped back to safety but the gorilla hadn't let go of his prey yet. It attacked again. This time Aki didn't have time to think. In pure reflex, she tried to defend herself with the Tessen and it immediately broke by the hit from the beast. Aki screamed at the pain, while she lost her grip on the remaining part of her weapon. In the fraction of a second, she was surprised by the gorilla's move, as she was hit from the side. She hit the ground at the same time as her weapon did. The only thing clear in front of her was the huge gorilla turning to her to make a final move. Aki smiled a little, as the gorilla raised his arms to strike her down.

"Don't move," she whispered and turned the palm of her hands against her target.

Raphael didn't see that the gorilla suddenly was standing still. The only thing he saw was that Aki was in danger, and he ran as fast as he could to rescue. As he arrived, the red-masked turtle spun around into a roundhouse kick, throwing the gorilla to the ground. Moreover, this time the gorilla stayed down.

"Oh my, how exciting!" Rex exclaimed thrilled by the show and clapped loudly at the big gorilla lying unconsciously on the rooftop. "The turtle actually won against a fierce gorilla. Bravo!"

"Are you really surprised?" Raphael asked dryly, as he couldn't care less about that, his enemy has found them.

Yet inside deep in his heart, Raphael was worried as he looked at the rooftop where Rex had been hiding. He knew that neither he nor Aki would be able to beat her without his brothers, and he knew that Rex immediately would kill them. Raphael studied Rex carefully, as she jumped to the rooftop from the nearby building. She was even more beautiful than the last time, he had seen her. She was wearing a tight black leather shirt and leather pants, and both had a picture of flames down at the ends, as if her clothes was absorbed by fire. It suited well her dark long red hair that curled around the oval face. Rex smiled ironically with her bloodcoloured lips and glanced at him with her eyes black as coal. A golden glow flared inside them, as if she had fire burning behind her eyes. In her left hand, she held a small flute.

"Not really," Rex admitted honestly. "I would have been disappointed if you hadn't been able to beat my little pet. Though I'm not surprised that Aki seemed to have a bit of a trouble there. But why don't kill it Red? You won the battle."

"It doesn't matter," Raphael hissed and raised his sais toward her, looking at her with anger in his eyes. "That is the difference between you and me"

Rex laughed, as she felt amused by the thought. "Oh my darling, how blind can you be? Our anger and hate against the world is the same."

"Our methods aren't," Raphael pointed out sharply.

"True," Rex nodded and smiled.

Slowly her hand seized the little brown bag that was hanging at her belt. Aki gasped as she saw her enemy put the precious flute back into the small bag. Rex smiled in triumph as she noticed the despairing look in Aki's eyes.

"You really want this, don't you?" Rex asked sarcastically and giggled. "Aki, the poor protector of the flutes. You didn't your job very well, did you?"

Aki's chins blushed in shame as many of the same thoughts had gone through her mind. Raphael noticed the sadness and embarrassment in Aki's face and felt his anger rose once more. He loved Aki more than anything in the world and he would let no one hurt her.

"Shut up wrench," Raphael's voice was shivering with the anger, which he was feeling inside. "Or I will cut you into pieces."

"Am I really in a position, where I should be afraid?" Rex asked coldly and waved with the small flute. "I have the power right here Red. Your small threats are pity and predictable. We both know that you can't defeat me"

"Then kill me," Raphael said, feeling tired of waiting for her to make her move. "Why don't kill us now?"

"Can't a girl have a little fun?" Rex asked with a sweet smile and laughed.

"You're mad," Aki commented with disgust in her voice.

"Uh, thank you for the compliment," Rex bowed her head in gratitude. "And here I thought that you would call me bad names."

"I could," Raphael said and turned his head a brief movement to look at Aki, and then he returned his eyes towards Rex with an evil grin on his face. "But it wouldn't be fair. After all I have a lady with me."

Rex laughed inside as he saw the flames flared up in her eyes. Even he was afraid of his enemy, knowing that she had the power to destroy them, he couldn't help offending her. It was fun to see how Rex reacted. However, Raphael was on his marks, after all he was playing with fire. Rex felt the anger grow in her heart and faced Raphael. She hated that she actually liked this turtle. Knowing that he had the same anger as she, she understood him, and she admired his fearlessness for danger. Even when she had the power to kill him, he didn't show his fear, and Rex knew that this turtle was a pure fighter. He would never give up and she liked that. However, he had offended her and that served to be punished.

"You're not much fun, Red," Rex said and looked at him with a sad look. "And when I'm not amused, I can't see why I should keep you alive."

Then she seized the small flute inside the little brown bag. Raphael and Aki gazed at each other and nodded in agreement. They wouldn't give Rex the chance to call the animals to her again, even if it would cost them their lives. Rex faced them with an evil grin on her face.

"Don't worry, your brothers will join you soon," she said wickedly.

At that second, Aki and Raphael made their move. Raphael quickly jumped from side to side, making it difficult for Rex to get a clear shot at him. Aki didn't move at all, she just turned the palm of hand against her and felt the power flew in her fingers like pure energy.

Rex hissed like a snake and jumped to the side before Aki's airwave got a grip on her. Aki made fast a second attempt but Rex rolled again to the side to avoid her attack. While she was escaping the wave, Rex took the flute into her mouth. Raphael's secret plan had been distraction, as it was the most effective ninja trick, and he was thrilled to see that Rex was not paying attention for what he was doing. At the moment, where Rex was on her move to play on the flute, Raphael attacked from the side and kicked right in the face. Rex screamed by the pain and the flute felt to the ground with a little sound. Rex spun around and turned her palm against him.

"You fool!" she yelled and threw him away from her.

Raphael had hoped that he would have gotten the time to escape from Rex's attack but he didn't succeed. As Aki seized the flute on the ground, she saw Raphael flying across the air over the edge of the rooftop.

"NO!" she screamed in despair and ran towards the edge.

"Yes Aki, follow him to his grave," Rex said carelessly behind her and sent a new deadly wave into her back, sending her of the rooftop. "Flute of the monkeys!"

Aki felt the flute disappear from her hand. She and Raphael had failed in their attempt to take one of the flutes from Rex's possession. But that wasn't the worst part. Seeing Raphael beneath her, they were both falling down against the ground with deadly speed. I'm going to die, the thought ran clearly through her like lightning and Aki felt scared as she came closer towards the surface and the ending of her life. No one would survive this fall.'

A/N: Oh, are Aki and Raphael going to die? Well, you're going to find out in the next chapter hehe... Plz feel welcome to give some reviews :-)


	20. A strange sight

A/N: Hey everyone… I finally got the next chapter ready after some busy months with my exam projects at school, exams and working summer holiday. I just want to thanks everyone who is still following my story and THANK you so much for the reviews that I have received :) enjoy…

Raphael cursed, using extremely bad words, which shall remain unspoken, as he fell down from the rooftop. The hotheaded turtle couldn't believe that Rex actually had succeeded in her attempt to attack him. The most annoying part was that he hadn't been quick enough to move again from her airwave. It made him even more irritated than before, as he knew; it was his own fault that she had won the battle. The result of his mistake had turned to his doom. It had taken Raphael a few seconds to get a complete overview of his situation, after Rex had thrown him over the edge of the rooftop.

He had desperately tried to find any possible solution to his problem, to save himself from his fall from the house, but he had quickly realized that it would be an impossible attempt to prevent him from landing on the ground. There was not a way out of this besides his death, something that the red-masked turtle was not looking forward too.

Somehow, he had never considered it as a possibility, dying this night. Usually Raphael always had his brothers with him and they were always looking out for him as he was for them. Raphael felt a deep lump in his throat as his thought began to circle around his family. Would he ever see their faces again? Would he ever get an opportunity to hear Michelangelo's annoying voice? At this point Raphael wished deeply in his heart that he could.

As Aki fell faster and faster towards the ground, her life seemed to flow quickly in her mind. With the upcoming death standing clearly before her, she suddenly received forgotten memories from her childhood, small frames of her mother's face smiling happily at her and the tears in her eyes when she left her daughter to the order of The Five Elements. Aki had never realized that she actually had missed her mother so much.

Aki swallowed hardly and the picture of her mother faded away to a known face of a person, who she had been thinking of the whole evening. Someone, who finally had shown a great pain hidden in his soul because of the deep feelings, he had for her. Leonardo. Just the thought of him made her throat dry and she signed deeply from the great sorrow in her heart. At this point, she realized that she shared the same feelings for Leonardo though it still confused her that she actually had fallen in love with a turtle.

Yet, all she saw was his gentle eyes looking at her with his love written in his face. She could sense his arms comforting her as he taught her how to feel the depth of her own soul. She could recognize the warmth of her own magical powers flowing through her veins, filling her body with energy. She could feel the air surrounding her, embracing her with compassion and understanding. The soft words of her sweetheart whispering in her ears: "Feel the energy, feel the soul."

Suddenly she felt that the falling speed had decreased. Her heart was beating faster, as she embraced the air around her, making it her ally. Then she stopped right in the air without falling anymore. In one second, she wondered if it actually was happening. She could use her air power to make herself able to fly! It was awesome. She had never heard that the Element of Air had been able to do that.

Raphael's scream woke Aki from her thoughts, as he was falling dangerous close toward the ground. Aki didn't hesitated but flew as fast as she could to save her turtle friend from the death. Raphael cursed bitterly as he knew that it was the end. Raphael closed his eyes, prepared to feel a great pain that would kill him instantly.

However, it didn't happen. Raphael gasped surprised as he felt two arms embracing him, holding him tight, and preventing his body from falling anymore. Raphael could sense a sweet scent of flower and knew in that instance that it had been Aki, who had saved him. His eyes widened, as he opened them and saw a strange sight. They were standing still, flying in mid-air, merely a few meters above the ground. It seemed impossible, yet it had happened. His fall from the roof had only taken seconds, but in that time, Aki had been able to find the strength in her soul to save them. Raphael turned his head towards her and saw that she smiled happily at him.

"But… But how…," he stuttered in realization that she had saved him by being able to fly in the air.

"I'm using the wind to keep me in the air," Aki explained. "My powers have grown since I met you and your brothers Raph. Leonardo's teaching of me tonight made me able to sense my own powers, hidden deep in my mind, and able to feel the energy from the air around me. Then it happened. Hehe, isn't it cool?"

"Donny would never believe this," Raphael commented and laughed aloud as he pointed his finger at the rooftop where Rex was looking at them with anger flaring in her eyes. "HA HA, take that your wrench! We're still alive down here. You noticed?"

"Not for long Red, not for long," Rex mumbled and gazed at the monkey army beside her. "What are you all doing here? KILL THEM!"

"Oh, problems," Aki said as she noticed the monkeys moving down the fire stairs. "Where shall we go?"

"No where at this point," Raphael said. "The monkey goons aren't a problems as long as you stay in the air. And we need to stay here for a sec."

"What is your intention Raph?" Aki asked, as she got confused why they didn't leave while they had the chance.

"We need to make a fake attack on Rex while her monkeys are going down the fire stairs."

"But why?" Aki asked even more confused. "We can't beat Rex."

"Don't you think that I know that?" Raphael asked tartly and signed. "We need to put a transmitter on her."

"A transmitter?"

"Yeah," Raphael said, finding a small turtle transmitter in his belt. "Donny has made us those tracking devices, and we need to find Rex's hideout so we can make a plan to take her down."

"Sounds good to me," Aki nodded in acknowledgement. "But we have to be careful. We have to get close to her."

"Just do it," Raphael said and gave a little shake of his head. "We have to make our attempt while her monkeys are leaving the rooftop."

Aki agreed and began flying towards the rooftop. Rex watched them silently coming closer towards her. She had been shocked when Aki had been able to stop her own fall by flying. Aki's magical powers had grown since their last encounter. What had changed her so dramatically? Could it really be those turtles that had had an influence on her? Somehow, Rex couldn't believe it or rather she wouldn't believe it. That would mean that she had underestimated the powers of the turtles, and Rex was sure in her mind that they were weak.

What were their intentions of attacking her once again? They knew that they couldn't defeat her.

Aki flew above her and gazed at Rex, both watching each other with hate written in their eyes. Raphael touched the small turtle transmitter gently and heaved a deep sigh. This wouldn't be pleasant at all. Then Aki began flying down, holding Raphael's arms in a firm grip, as she was afraid that she would drop him. It wasn't easy to control her flying abilities when she also had to concentrate about her passenger. Rex smiled evilly and turned the palm of her hands towards them.

"She is going to make an airwave," Raphael stated with a low voice that only Aki was able to hear.

Aki studied Rex at the rooftop. The wrenched woman didn't seem nervous about their fake attack at all. Her dark red hair that curled around the oval face was shining like if the hair was made of fire and her black eyes, which normally had a golden glow, began to flame at the sight of them.

"No, she isn't," Aki gasped horrified and quickly turned to the side.

"Have you ever tasted the devastating powers of fire, Red?" Rex asked tartly

Her hands began to glow with a red aura, and then great flames of fire consumed her hands. Rex smirked and attacked with her fire flame towards them. It reminded Raphael of the airwave, but this attack was even stronger and more dangerous.

"Watch the fire, it might burn you!" Rex laughed superiorly and made a new attack on them

Aki escaped the flames, but it took hard at her concentration. Flying around with Raphael in her arms was hard and she could feel that she weakened by each second they remained in the air. Therefore, she desperately flew to the sides, trying to find a way to get closer to Rex without being burned, but then she resigned and began to retreat.

"NO!" Raphael protested harshly. "We have to get close to her… Otherwise we can't track her down."

"But we will die, if we stay here!" Aki shouted angrily. "I can't hold us anymore. Can't you understand that?"

Raphael swallowed hardly as he could see that she was tired. Suddenly, he felt ashamed that he had gotten irritated of her retreat, as he realized how hard it must have been for her to make them fly in the air. Even though Aki had learned much about her powers in the last couple of days, it didn't necessarily mean that she was a skilled user. Aki flew them both to a nearby roof, though she knew that it was a dangerous choice. Rex could send her monkeys after them or come after them herself, but Aki needed to rest, otherwise they would fall to the ground immediately.

"Look, I'm really sorry Aki. I was a buffoon not seeing that it took a great deal on your power," Raphael apologized once they landed on the ground.

"It is okay Raph, you couldn't know. I'm also sorry that I yelled at you because of it. That wasn't fair to you," Aki said honestly.

They both sat down and Aki turned her gaze towards Rex, not realizing that Raphael was watching her. No, it hadn't been fair of him at all. He could see how tired she was and yet he had pushed her. Raphael's heart began beating faster, as a great desire of touching her skin began to flow through his mind. He wanted to take her closer and feel her black hair between his fingers, as he would caress her gently. Raphael felt a big lump in his throat, as he knew that he couldn't do that yet, when he wasn't sure about her feelings for his older brother.

Aki watched Rex, who was starring at them without moving at all. Aki expected that she already had commanded her monkey army to get to the building where they were staying. The fact that Rex didn't decide to follow along didn't surprise Aki at all. Rex liked to be in control, where she could observe the battlefield without getting hurt herself. She didn't want to get wounds. It would take too much of her powers to heal herself.

"Aki, there is something that I don't understand about your power," Raphael said suddenly to break the silence between them. "How can Rex use the airwave, when she is the Element of fire?"

"There are small things that we all can use when we are apprentices. You don't have the full extend of your power when you're chosen as the descendent to become the next element. We practice the art of the air wave for protection; making things appear in our hands by calling their names, communicate through dreams and such. These things can we all do, but it is first when the predecessor dies that we gain full power and can learn the full extend of our powers," Aki explained but gave him an ironic smile. "Of course Rex's airwave is stronger than mine at this point since she is fully trained and I'm not."

"You aren't giving yourself full credit. After all you found the power to fly," Raphael noticed with a bright smile.

"There are many powers that I haven't learned which had been inside my mind and body since my fathers death. It became an unbalance to the order, when they lost the power of the air before I was old enough to learn how to use the depths of my magical powers, but they had no choice. I had to become 18 as I had to be of a mature nature to learn how to use the individual magical abilities which are hidden inside me. However with the destruction of the order, that opportunity is ruined now, so I have to discover it by myself and that is much harder," Aki said with a gloomy voice. "It isn't like Rex, who has been training in her powers for almost 7 years now."

Raphael nodded in acknowledgement. That would make Rex 25 years old. Rex cast a sidelong glance at Aki, and it suddenly realised how young she seemed in comparison. However Aki had experienced the same cruelty of the world as himself, so even if they both were only sixteen years old, they were more mature than they looked. Raphael gave her a wry smile. "That was amazing nonetheless. Michelangelo would have freaked out, always talking about superheroes and stuff."

"Hehe," Aki laughed a little and nodded. "I can imagine. But what are we going to do now?"

Raphael felt pleased that Aki was having her trust in his decisions. Normally, when he was with his brothers, it was always Leonardo, who made the decisions for the group and it felt good that it actually was he, who was in charge. Raphael signed and cast a side-glance on their enemy.

"We need to get the transmitter on her before warning the others about her arrival. It is important, so we can plan our final move on her."

"Maybe I can do something about that," Aki said and opened her hand. "Give me the transmitter."

Raphael frowned his forehead, wondering about Aki was planning to do. She smiled a little and turned her hand in the direction where Rex was. Now their enemy was looking at the bottom of the building where the monkey had begun to climb.

"We have to be fast like the wind," she whispered.

She felt the air surrounding her once again, sensing the great power that was hiding in the wind. She took a small breath and blow on the small turtle transmitter. Then it began to move, carried on its way by the winds. Aki closed her eyes and followed the little green transmitter. She made the winds flowing beneath and around it, so it was flying through the air. Raphael noticed that Aki smiled in triumph and then she turned her emerald eyes at him.

"Now the transmitter is placed at her back behind the belt, so no one can see it."

Raphael nodded in acknowledgement. "That was unbelievable. You know, you could become a really good ninja, if you wanted to."

Aki smiled happily at that, glad to be praised for her work. "But we need to get out of here. The monkeys are coming this way."

"We need to get to my bike," Raphael said with a determent sound in his voice.

"Wouldn't it just be better to go down the nearest manhole?" Aki asked and rose questioning her eyebrows as she looked at him.

"I'm never leaving my bike to that woman!" Raphael hissed. "Her monkey goons are down there, and I don't want them to destroy my bike."

"But Raph," Aki protested, but was cut off instantly.

"No, it is my bike and I want it back," he said and swallowed hardly. "Don't make me beg for it."

"You don't have to," Aki smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's get your bike back."

"Can you handle to fly down there?" Raphael asked. "Because it will be a tough challenge to get through the monkeys. I hate to admit it, but there are too many of them."

"I can do it," Aki said after she had thought about it in a few seconds. "We just need to be quick about it."

"I'm always quick," Raphael smirked. "And I'm deadly as ever."

"Hehe, you wish," Aki commented and laughed. "Come on, let's go."

Aki flew up and placed her arms under Raphael's, holding him tight, as they began on their way down. Making their way down to the ground, they could hear Rex's scream of frustration as they were getting away. She tried to make new fire attacks after them, but Aki kept them in safe distance where she knew that they couldn't be hit. Rex commanded angrily her monkey to attack them, but the monkeys didn't have the abilities to fly after them and Aki avoided easily the few things that the monkeys were trying to throw at them.

They managed to get to the place, where the motorcycle was standing without big difficulties. Raphael caressed his beloved shell bike a brief moment before placing his red helm over his head. Aki quickly followed his example and placed herself behind him. Raphael opened his shell phone and Aki saw a small dot blinking on the small screen.

"Good, it is working," Raphael mumbled and placed the shell phone back in his belt.

"Was it the transmitter you were looking at?" Aki asked as Raphael began to start the vehicle.

"Yes, had to make sure that it was working before we left," Raphael answered.

Then the red-masked turtle heard big noises behind them. He turned his eyes to look over his shoulders, when two big gorillas, who were leading the army of monkeys, began to approach from the corner. He signed deeply and turned his head towards the road.

"Don't look back," he advised Aki. "But we have company."

Aki fastened her grip further in Raphael's belt and place her head on his shell, as he drove to the left in fast speed to escape from their attackers. Aki signed with relief as they had been riding for several minutes. The monkeys were no longer in sight and she could now relax for some time. Yet, she knew in her heart that she wasn't safe at all. Neither were the millions of habitants of New York. She had seen some of the destructions that the monkeys had made near Central Park and she had a terrible feeling inside that Rex was going to destroy the city in her search for her enemies.

"Aki, take my phone and call the others," Raphael said loudly to make sure that she could hear him. "We need to gather them all, so we can tell them that Rex had returned."

Aki nodded and began to dial the phone number to his family. Yet, she felt nervous about calling his family because it meant also that she had to call the one turtle, which was still hurting in his heart, Leonardo.

Leonardo sniffed as he looked down at the glorious night of the city. Normally the lights would calm his mind but tonight his heart was broken of sorrow and he was unable to clear his thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking of her, as her picture stayed in his mind. Her emerald eyes was shining at him, inviting him to come closer to kiss her soft lips, to do what was forbidden.

Leonardo felt his tears rolling down his cheeks but he didn't try to remove them, as he knew that his pain wouldn't stop. It seemed like the demons was torturing him with his knowledge of his great failure, his dishonor of his family. Leonardo laid down the ground and cried his heart out. How could something that felt so right, be so wrong?

It was at that moment that his shell phone began to ring. Leonardo, who was still feeling the great soul punishment of his own consciousness, didn't recognize the sound at first. Then he wondered who would call him at this hour. After all, it was past midnight. Leonardo sniffed again and tried to get a clear vision, so he was able to see who was calling him. Raphael… Leonardo threw his shell phone away from him, as he didn't wanted to respond. He was not in the mood of talking with his brother at the moment. Raphael would hear on his voice that he had cried and Leonardo didn't want to explain himself. He just wanted to be alone.

The shell phone kept ringing. It was getting annoying, as Leonardo wanted to think straight without being able to have the constant sound in his ears. For a brief moment, he considered to throw the shell phone over the rooftop, but he knew that Donatello would kill him for that. The clever turtle had placed much work in these phones and loved them like children. Leonardo signed and placed his back at the shell phone. Maybe Raphael would give up. It didn't happened. After ten minutes of constant ringing, Leonardo finally gave up and seized his shell phone.

"What is it Raph?" Leonardo asked and regretted that he sounded angry. After all, it wasn't Raphael's fault that he was feeling upset.

"It isn't Raph," a well-known woman voice sounded in the other line. "It is Aki."

Leonardo felt his heart stopped and swallowed hardly. He hadn't expected that it would be her, and it would be rude of him to shut down the phone. Leonardo's voice shivered lightly as he began to talk.

"What… What is it Aki?"

He sensed a pause before Aki responded. "You have to get home. It is urgent! Do you understand?"

At first, Leonardo had been thinking if Aki was mad at him for leaving her in the lair after their kiss, but there was something in her voice that made his worries for their further relationship to disappear for a brief moment. She sounded terrified and his heart began to beat faster.

"What is the matter Aki? What have happened?"

"I was out in the town with Raphael tonight…" Aki began, but Leonardo stopped listening.

Was she out with his brother? Why would she do that? When Leonardo thought about it, the answer was clear. She had also been upset about the kiss. After all, she had kissed a turtle, and it was no wonder that she had gone out with Raphael to speak with him as a friend. Leonardo regretted that he had started to feel jealous on his younger brother and ignored the feeling completely.

"Aki… I'm sorry… Please repeat what you said," Leonardo asked and tried to stay focused.

"We got attacked by Rex!" Aki told him and Leonardo eyes widened with fear.

"Aki, are you alright? Is Raph?"

"We're both fine and out of danger," Aki assured him quickly as she knew that he was worried about them. "But she had returned and is using the flutes for attack. We need to make our move on her now!"

"But how?"

"We will tell you when you get back home," Aki explained when she paused a little. "You will get home, right Leo?"

Leonardo knew that he didn't have much of a choice. He needed to be there to protect his family. However, he realized that he needed to make himself ready to be near Aki, so his family wouldn't find out what had happened between them. He took a deep breath, before he answered her.

"Sure, I come home… But it will take me a few minutes to get back."

"Good… We are almost home and I have called the others. They will wait for us in the living room," Aki told him and then said with a soft voice. "Take care of yourself until then, okay Leo?"

"I will," Leonardo assured her with a firm voice that didn't revealed any of the chaotic feelings inside him. "You too."

Then he hung up. So Rex had finally returned. Leonardo placed his shell phone back in his belt and gazed again down at the streetlight. Silently he removed all the signs of tears and sorrow in his face. He had to stay focused and clear his mind for the upcoming fight, the meeting with the woman he loved. He would need all his strength to get back home and to see her without showing any emotions. He needed to do that for the sake of them both. As Leonardo turned his way back towards the lair, his mind was finally calm.

A/N: So what did you all think of the chapter? Things are going to speed up as their final fight against Rex is approaching. Please feel welcome to share your opinions with me. I really appreciate it I will try to get the next chapter finished as fast as I can. Don't forget to take a look at my story "Childhood memories" as it has been updated as well. Take care everyone until next time :)


	21. Hope for the future

A/N: Hey all. Thank you all for the nice reviews that I have received. It was really great I'm really sorry that it has taken me such a long time to update the story, but school have been more than awful, so couldn't make myself to gaze at my computer screen to be honest. Well, this was actually going to be a very long chapter, so I had to split the chapters into two, making this chapter the beginning of the next one ;-) enjoy…

Ten minutes before the converstation between Aki and Leonardo, Aki had decided to call the turtle family first. She had looked down at the phone, wondering who would be the best to call. Since the time was past midnight, they had to be asleep. Aki tapped Raphael on his shoulder to get his attention.

"What?"

"Who shall I call?" Aki asked. "Michelangelo?"

Raphael smiled wryly at the thought of trying to call Michelangelo at this hour. "No… There are two choices with him. Either he is sleeping like a baby or he is playing video games. In neither case, you will be able to reach him. He won't hear you."

"What about Donny then?"

"It is possible that he is awake since he is used to stay up late but I doubt it. In addition, he sleeps like a rock sometimes. No, you better call Master Splinter," Raphael said.

"But…" Aki began, but Raphael interrupted her instantly.

"If it is important, Aki," he pointed out and turned his full attention back to the road.

Aki nodded in acknowledgement, but she did not feel like waking the old rat. Yet, she knew that he was the best to call. She dialed the number on the phone and placed it near her ear. It was at that point that she recognized some of the signs, which told her that they were near the turtle lair.

Master Splinter yawned when he heard the shell phone called. He looked around a brief moment to get a quick overview of his surroundings. One thing he noticed was the small clock he had on his nightstand, telling him that it was still night. The old rat yawned again and took the shell phone out of the draw. Why would anyone call him this late? Master Splinter slightly coughed and opened the phone, while he tried to find the bottom where he could answer the call.

"Stupid technology," he mumbled irritated.

"Master Splinter?" Aki asked in the other end.

"Hallo… Hallo?" Master Splinter said. "How do I answer this thing?"

"You have," Aki told him.

"Hmm… It isn't easy to manage the phone in the dark," Splinter told her and laughed a little. "I will never learn."

"Master Splinter. I'm really sorry that I have to wake you, but it is important to gather the family together," Aki said and hesitated a little before she continued. "Rex is back."

"That was to be expected," Splinter said and heaved a deep sigh. "Okay, I will wake my sons. Where are you?"

"On my way home with Raphael," Aki explained.

The old rat's eyes widened by her words. "Is Raphael with you?"

"Yes, I will explain later when we arrive. You have to wake up Donatello and Michelangelo."

Master Splinter noticed quickly that she hadn't mentioned his oldest son. "Where is Leonardo, Aki?"

"Actually I don't know," came Aki's response and Master Splinter could sense that she felt uncomfortable by his question. "I will tell you later, I promise."

"Fine," Splinter nodded, as he knew that it wasn't the right time to discuss the subject. There were more important things which they needed to focus on at this point. "I will wake my sons, just make sure that you call Leonardo, okay?"

"Of course," Aki promised. "See you later."

"We will," Splinter said and hung up the phone.

He took a deep breath exhaled slowly, while he silently placed the shell phone on his nightstand. Suddenly he was feeling very tired about the situation he raised his hands to massage his forehead gently. A headache was on its way, but he had to ignore the scorching pain. Master Splinter closed his eyes a brief moment, trying to calm down and relax. What Aki had told him had confirmed his worries about their enemy, but still it made only his old heart beating faster by concerns for his family. They were in danger once again.

Master Splinter knew in his heart that it was necessary for them to fight, as Rex wasn't only a threat to the world, but a threat to his family. Nevertheless, sometimes the old rat missed the times before his boys had turned fifteen. It was the times where they still lived in their old cave, living secretly from the world above without having to worry if his dearest sons might survive the next day. A little smile flickered across his face, as master Splinter remembered the small turtles sitting in his lap, giving him a big hug of love.

He seized his cane near the bed and walked with quick steps out from the room. He had many concerns and thoughts running through his mind as he passed the bridge over the small lake in direction of the stairs that would take him to the boys' room in the upper level. A little voice inside him warned him that something had occurred between Leonardo and Aki, though he didn't know what it was.

"Master Splinter, what are you doing up so late?" a soft voice sounded behind him.

The old rat smiled as he turned around to gaze at Donatello, who was looking worried at him from the doorway to his workshop. Master Splinter had given up a long time ago to get the brainy turtle to bed, as Donatello was the type who simply couldn't sleep if he had something on his mind. Master Splinter looked at his son with warmth in his eyes.

"I could ask you the same question my son," he responded and couldn't help gaining a father's concern in his voice. "It is past midnight and I have slept nonetheless, though I doubt that you have done the same."

"That would be correct," Donatello admitted and showed him the gadget in his hand. "I have been working on a protecting shield that might remove the airwave attacks that we will receive from Rex. It will move the wind to the sides instead of hitting us with full force and then she can't catch us like she have done the past times. So I'm afraid that I couldn't sleep."

"It happens my son, and it seems like you haven't been the only one who haven't gotten their sleep tonight, and that is dangerous considering that our enemy had finally made her move," Splinter told him and got a serious look in his eyes.

"What?" Donatello eyes widened, stunned by the news. "What have happened?"

"Both Raphael and Aki have been out in the city tonight and Rex found them," Splinter told.

"Shell, are they all right?" Donatello asked worried.

"They are alive and heading back home. I hope that Aki will be able to call Leonardo home as well. She didn't know where he was."

"Leonardo has gone as well?" Donatello repeated and moved his eyes from his father, as he didn't want him to see that he might know the cause of that. After all, he had been the one to tell Aki that Leonardo had deeper feelings for her than she might know. Now he was gone, and with Aki on a trip with Raphael, Donatello began to worry what had occurred between his oldest brother and the girl.

"What is wrong my son?" Splinter asked as he noticed that Donatello kept his eyes straight on the gadget in his hands.

"Nothing," Donatello swallowed and found the courage to meet his father's eyes. "I was just startled by the things you told me."

Master Splinter nodded slowly. "Yes, it is great concern for me as well. We have to wake up Michelangelo immediately as they are all heading back to the lair to make a plan for our next move."

"I will wake Mike," Donatello said and walked back in his workshop to place the gadget on his working table.

When he got back to the lake, Master Splinter was still standing on the same spot, seemingly paralyzed, as his eyes were empty. Donatello looked strange at his father who wasn't moving a muscle at all. Somehow, it didn't seem normal that his father wasn't saying a word.

"Master Splinter?" Donatello asked and move across the bridge. No responds and Donatello repeated his question.

He finally placed his hand gently on the old rat's shoulders, shaking his body gently as if he wanted to wake him from a sleep. "Father, wake up."

Finally, his words seemed to get through. The life returned to the eyes and Master Splinter turned his head up to see his son that was beyond concern for his odd behavior.

"I'm sorry for my words Sensei but what the hell happened?" Donatello asked. "Your eyes were completely empty like your mind had left the body."

"It isn't serious my son, don't worry," Master Splinter quickly placed his hand on Donatello's arm, as the clever turtle was going to object. "Please my son. Your concerns about me are sweet, but you have to believe me when I tell you that you don't have to worry. Nothing is wrong."

Donatello wasn't going to believe him. His father was sincere when he told him not to worry, but Donatello knew that Master Splinter was trying to ignore something. Though he had great concerns for his father, he knew that his master wouldn't reveal anything to him if he didn't want to. So Donatello decided that it was better to wait a while, but he noticed in his mind that he had to keep a close eye on his father.

"Wake your brother and then I will make some tea for everyone," Splinter stated and walked firmly towards the kitchen while he mumbled to himself. "Strange music."

Donatello kept his eyes at his father's back for a long time before he disappeared into the kitchen. Music? Donatello wondered like crazy what he could have meant with these words, but it didn't make sense that Splinter was hearing music. Donatello quickly ignored the thought that it could be that his father was getting old and maybe heard things that wasn't there. There had to be a logical reason for his father's strange behavior. Donatello walked with fast steps towards Michelangelo's bedroom.

Since Michelangelo had gotten better, he had placed his madras back to his bunk bed, which was standing above his drums. Donatello knew from the second he walked through the doorway that his brother was sleeping well as his snoring was so loud that it would make it possible for deaf people to hear. Donatello walked up the ladder and gazed upon Michelangelo who was drooling in his sleep.

"Hey sleeping beauty, wake up," Donatello burst out loudly, even though he knew that it wouldn't help much.

He had lived together with his youngest brother all his life and the clever turtle knew that Michelangelo wouldn't hear him at all, if he first had fallen to sleep. Donatello heaved a deep sigh, as his brother mumbled and turned his shell at him.

"Why are you predictable?" Donatello whispered with a wry smile. "You're not getting any more sleep anyway."

"Just five more minutes," Michelangelo mumbled as Donatello placed his arm on his shoulder, shaking it lightly.

"Always the hard way," Donatello grinned and took a firm grip on his shoulder. "Weather you like it or not."

Michelangelo shrieked as he suddenly felt his body loosing it stability, as Donatello pulled him out of the bed, making him land hard on the stone floor.

"Donny, what are you doing?" Michelangelo busted out irritated.

"Making sure that you're awake," Donatello smiled gently at his brother, completely ignoring the blaming look that he received from Michelangelo. "You have to get up immediately."

"And why is that?" Michelangelo asked and yawned loudly. "I need my beauty sleep."

Donatello laughed and helped his brother on his feet. "Well, you can't get any more beautiful than you are Mike."

"What has happened?" Michelangelo continued, ignoring his brother's comment. "A new invention you want to show us?"

"Not this time," Donatello chuckled as he remembered a few times where he had been mean enough to wake his brothers to show his latest inventions. "Rex has been seen in the city."

"By whom? Michelangelo asked and Donatello noticed the little concerned tone in his voice."

"Raphael and Aki got attacked," he told him and continued quickly, as he predicted what Michelangelo was going to ask him next. "They are alive, but we don't know exactly what have happened. Aki has called for a meeting, and Leonardo is on his way back to the lair."

"Has he been gone? Why?"

Donatello had an awful suspicion what might have occurred since both Aki and Leonardo had left the lair without being together. As Donatello knew in his heart that Aki finally knew about Leonardo's true feelings for her, he was certain in his mind that she might had confronted him with her new information. Silently Donatello hoped that he had done the right thing in telling Aki the truth, but at this point, it seemed like things had gone in the opposite direction, making two people that he dearly cared about even more miserable than before. However, he didn't feel that he could share this information with Michelangelo yet, therefore he merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I really don't know Mike. You better ask Leo about that, when he gets home."

Michelangelo nodded in agreement and followed his brother to the living room at the ground floor where their father had served the tea. Master Splinter smiled at them, when they arrived.

"They should be here very soon,"

Both turtles nodded, but the air was thick between them. In their hearts, all was worried about the three missing people who haven't returned to the safety of the lair. With Rex out there in the streets, they would still be in a serious danger. Donatello's heart was beating faster as he remembered that Rex was able to track the magi aura that surrounded Aki. Raphael and Aki might not even return home if she found them again. The thought alone made his hands shake and he quickly crossed his arms, trying to hide his concerns from his family. Master Splinter noticed his son's movements and silently served the tea. He sensed the chaos whirling inside Donatello's body and when his clever son gazed upon him, the old rat revealed all the love he possessed through his brown eyes. A little smile flickered across Donatello's face and he felt a bit calmer than before. Michelangelo opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by the sound of the elevator that led to the abandoned warehouse above. Michelangelo swallowed hard as two shadowy figures appeared as the door opened.

"Hey all," Aki greeted, but they all noticed that her voice was shaken from the nights event.

"What a wrench!" Raphael burst out as he walked towards his family. "What a…"

"It is good to see you my son," Master Splinter interrupted his furious son before the words became too ugly. "I'm glad that you both have returned safely home."

"Has he been like that all the way?" Michelangelo whispered to Aki, who couldn't help but smiling as she nodded in response.

"We have been chased by a bunch of monkeys before coming here," Raphael remarked gloomily. "It has been a hell of a night."

"What happened Raph?" Donatello asked and felt his heart beating a bit faster.

"Well, we…" Raphael began, but then gave a slight shake of his head. "No, Leonardo needs to be here as well."

"I think so too my son," Splinter agreed with his son.

Aki placed herself in the sofa between Michelangelo and Donatello. She hadn't said much and her forehead was frowned as if she was thinking about something. Donatello thought if he should ask her what was the matter, but a little voice inside his brain told him that maybe she was thinking of Leonardo and therefore wouldn't talk with him about it in front of the whole family. Michelangelo seized her hand, squeezing it lightly, as he also noticed that she seemed worried.

"I hope that Leonardo is okay," she finally said and broke the silence.

"He is," Donatello assured her. "Out all the turtles Leonardo is the one, who can survive best in the city."

"Unless a couple of tigers are going after him," Raphael remarked and raised his eyes as he received a blaming look from his father. "Well it could happen."

"There is NO reason to tell us about the bad things that can occur Raphael," his father said in a serious tone. "We are all worried about your brother."

"Yes, and I'm only saying what we're all are thinking," Raphael said tartly, but then gazed at Splinter with a regretting look in his eyes. "Sorry Master. I'm just as worried for Leo as you are."

"I know," the old rat confirmed and smiled warmly at Raphael. "I know my son".

"No need to worry Master, I'm home," a voice sounded from the main entrance.

Aki's heart jumped in her throat in one second by the firm sound of Leonardo's voice. She hadn't seen him, since he ran out from his room, confused by the passionate kiss they had shared. At some point, she was getting nervous about seeing him again and on the other hand, all she wanted was to take him close into her arms and never let him go. The sudden revealing hit her like a bomb. She wanted to be near him and release his soul pain. Aki swallowed hard and turned to face the blue-masked turtle. In her heart, she was finally sure that she loved him.

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter seized his cane, walking with fast steps towards his own son. "And you're safe."

"Nothing has happened to me Master," Leonardo said and tried to smile at his father, though he didn't succeed completely.

"Where have you been Leonardo?" Raphael asked and gazed questioning at his older brother.

"It is not important," Leonardo avoided looking into Raphael's eyes as he hoped silently that his brother would leave the subject. Unfortunately, Raphael had a different opinion about the matter.

"Not important?" the red-masked turtle repeated ironically with his eyes flaming with furious fire. "YOU didn't think that it was important that you left the lair in the middle of night."

"Raphael, you have no right…," Leonardo began, but was cut off instantly by his brother.

"I have every right Leo!" Raphael stated loudly. "We can't go outside as it is with Rex out there. You said it yourself, and you break your own rules, fearless leader!"

"Raphael that is enough!" Splinter said in a sharp voice.

"No, it isn't Sensei," Raphael refused and turned to his master, hoping to gain some kind of understanding from his father. "You have forbid us going outside, and Leonardo left the lair without telling anyone. You should be angry at him and not at me!"

"If I should be angry of anyone breaking the rules, it wouldn't only be your brother," Splinter remarked and pointed one of his fingers at him. "Because why were you in the city this night?"

"I'm afraid that is my fault," Aki quickly said before Raphael answered his father and rose from the sofa. "I… I"

Splinter gazed seriously at her, and she couldn't see the old rat in the eyes. She was worried that he would see through her and discover the love that she had for his oldest son and somehow she had the feeling that it wasn't something that he would approve. Leonardo swallowed hard as he waited anxiously for her response. Would she tell what had happened between them? Aki closed her eyes tightly and cursed inside as her lips burned like if the flames of hell were touching them.

"I was really sad this night because of what have occurred with my family. I was scared because I'm scared as hell that if your people are going to fight Rex, then it will be your doom. And I seriously don't want that to happen," Aki said and sniffed as she realized that it actually was part of her worries. "Rex is so strong and powerful. She is going to kill you and I don't want that to happen. I really care for you Master Splinter and your sons. I can't stand the thought of loosing my family once again."

"It won't happen," Master Splinter smiled with the greatest comfort, he possessed and walked to the sofa, as he seized her hand with his left hand. "My sons and I know perfectly well of the great danger. We have always known that, my dear. And you have to trust us when we say to you that everything is going to be okay."

Aki sniffed and nodded slightly, but she still wasn't convinced. Michelangelo noticed that and placed his arm behind her back, hugging her tightly. "Take it easy Dudette... Nothing bad is going to happen to us. Something that Splinter has always taught us is working as a team, and therefore we aren't going to loose. We have our brilliant genius…"

"And our fearless leader," Donatello continued with pride in his voice and smiled at his eldest brother, who returned it warmly.

"We have our brother with hotheaded ideas and the greatest strength among us," Leonardo said and turned his eyes toward Raphael who smirked at his comment.

"And a clown, who cheer us up during the bad times, making us want to fight even more and better," Raphael said and looked at the youngest brother.

"And we have our father and master in the art of Ninjitsu, making us improve all the time and giving us advices when needed," Michelangelo cast a sidelong glance at his father before returning back to Aki. "And therefore don't worry so much. Trust in us and in yourself. We're going to fight Rex and we will win!"

"Well said Mikey," Raphael nodded together with his brothers in acknowledgement of Michelangelo's statement.

"There is no reason to argue why we were out in the city tonight," Leonardo said with a firm voice and looked at his family. "The important thing is to find Rex and her hiding place, so we can plan our next move."

"Well, let me tell what happened for me and Aki, when we met Rex," Raphael began and told the story about the attack which had happened on the rooftops. The living room was quiet, and so the silence continued a few seconds after Raphael had finished his story.

"Wow, it was lucky that you were able to place the transmitter on Rex and still manage to get away from her."

"Rex can feel where I am," Aki reminded them with a serious tone in her voice. "She knows that you're hiding together with me down in the sewers. We don't know her plans, but maybe she doesn't even see us as a threat to her."

"That will be her mistake," Raphael hissed.

"Give me your shell cell," Donatello asked and raised his hand towards Raphael, who grabbed the small phone in his belt. When he received it, Donatello rose from the sofa, as he pressed his fingers on the small keys. "It shouldn't be hard to track her down. Ah, I got her."

"Where is she Don?" Leonardo asked and moved his gaze away from Aki. Without realizing it, he had been staring at her beautiful eyes for several minutes. The green emerald eyes kept fascinating him, and it was hard for him to concentrate on the Rex. In his heart, he wished that he could get but 10 minutes alone with her, so he could explain to her, why he had suddenly rushed out from the room after kissing her. Though Leonardo never dared to think the thought that she maybe felt the same for him, he did not intend to ruin their friendship. He wanted to stay close to her, even though it would hurt like thousand knives stabbing his heart at the same time.

"She is not far away," Donatello mumbled. "But we have get to the other side of Manhattan."

"Ok, let's move then," Leonardo nodded his head towards the entrance. "We need to see her headquarter before we make the final move against her."

"But Leo, how do we make sure that it will be us hurting her and not the other way around?" Michelangelo asked and glanced nervously at his brother. "She isn't a nice lady."

"We will use stealth against her," Leonardo informed and gazed at his brothers with a determent look in his eyes. "Rex has one weakness that we have in advantage."

"We are ninjas," Raphael said with a smirk.

"Exactly!" Leonardo agreed and his eyes sparkled with energy. "She can't handle the martial art."

"Oh, she does with her blast wave of air," Michelangelo pointed out.

"Not anymore my dear brother," Donatello said with a big smile on his face. "I have developed special belts for that purpose only to redirect her air wave, if it comes towards us. It isn't a problem."

"I love you Donny," Michelangelo exclaimed and rubbed his brother's forehead. "Oh shell, I love that brain of yours."

"Hehe, chill Mike," Donatello laughed, but everyone noticed that he was proud of his work.

"So shall we go?" Raphael asked, as he was getting restless of waiting. "I want to find the witch's lair, so we can beat the shell out of her."

"Yeah, let us go…" Leonardo began, but trailed off as he noticed that Aki was looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"Can I talk with you in the kitchen Leo?" she asked directly.

Leonardo stumbled, surprised that she wanted to talk with him alone. He turned his gaze towards his father who nodded slightly in agreement. The blue-masked turtle heaved a big sigh, before he found the courage to meet her emerald eyes.

"Sure, we can talk," he finally said and walked pass Raphael towards the kitchen.

"Your brothers will be upstairs at the warehouse waiting for your return," Master Splinter announced and therefore he gave his others sons direct orders to leave the lair.

"We will be in the Battle Shell Leo," Donatello remarked as he pressed the elevator key.

"Sure thing Donny," Leonardo answered and received a gloomy stare from Raphael, who almost looked like he was angry with him over something.

However, Leonardo didn't believe that he had the time to worry about what was wrong between him and Raphael, but he placed a thought in his mind to remember that he had to ask Raphael later what was the matter between them. Aki curled a black lock of her hair between her slender fingers thoughtfully. Her eyes were starring at the sink as if her mind was elsewhere.

"What did you want to talk about?" Leonardo asked softly.

"I…" she trailed off immediately.

Leonardo waited patiently for her to continue. His heart was beating faster every second as he prepared himself for what she might say to him. They hadn't talked together since he ran out from the room and somehow he hoped and was afraid that it was the subject, which she wanted to discuss.

"I'm so confused," she admitted and took a deep breath.

"It is okay to be confused," he said and tried to remain calm as he continued. "I don't want to ruin our friendship Aki. I hope you understand that."

"This is neither the time nor the place to talk about what happened between us Leo," Aki said as she turned around towards him. "Your brothers are waiting for you."

"For us," Leonardo corrected, but raised his eyes, when he saw the dark expression in her face. "Or not?"

"It would be a danger for all to have me with you, you know that," Aki said and crossed her arms tightly. "I think that it would be better for me to wait in the lair together with Splinter while your guys find out where Rex's headquarter is."

"I think it would be the best," Leonardo nodded and walked closer to her, until she was only a few inches away. "Splinter is the best protector, you could have. After all he is our Ninjitsu master."

"It would give you a good chance to use your stealth abilities without being seen by anyone," Aki said and then swallowed hardly. "But be careful out there okay? I don't want to loose you."

"I will protect my brothers with my life," Leonardo said firmly.

"No, you misunderstand me," Aki said and laid both her hands gently on his cheeks, while her fingers caressed them lightly. "I don't want to loose YOU Leo!"

She lifted herself in one second, giving him a small kiss on his forehead. Leonardo was holding his breath while it lasted and exhaled loudly when she sat her feet down on the kitchen floor. He seized both her hands, holding them tight into his face, and with a burning desire inside his heart, he dared to kiss the left hand gently but with passion.

"I will be careful," he promised and smiled confidently at her. "After all I need to talk with you about what's happened tonight."

"Indeed we do," Aki smiled happily, as he had comforted her worrying heart. "And don't worry about your departure earlier. I understand your reason for leaving the room."

Leonardo placed her hands down at her side, squeezing them lightly before he let go. Without a word, he turned his shell at her, leaving the kitchen room. Somehow, he felt more secured than he had done, when he arrived to the lair. Even though Aki hadn't given a final answer yet, but she had given him the hope that she wasn't angry with him. It seemed possible that they could still remain friends after the little incident, but being alone with her in the kitchen also told him that there might was a chance of something more.

A/N: Well, what did you think of this chapter? Please feel welcome to give your review and share your opinions with me. Things are really going to occur in the next chapter. And since this chapter is the first part of the originally chapter, I have the second part ready for you and therefore the next update will be in two weeks from this day.


	22. Pigs and hens

A/N: Hey all. Thank you so much for the nice reviews I received. It makes me really happy that my readers are still hanging on to my story even though I can be bad with the updating. As I promised, this chapter has arrived after two weeks. So enjoy, many things are going to happen…

Aki stood in the kitchen for several minutes. In her head, her thoughts were jumping confusingly around as small flees. She was scared deep inside her soul and wanted to scream for help. She had serious doubt on which way she was going. She loved Leonardo with a strength that frightened her and still there was a side of her, resisting giving herself completely to him. She wondered if it was because he was a mutant turtle. Was it his appearance, which scared her of going into a relationship with him?

Honestly, the whole love made her so confused and the Asian woman gave a resigned shake of her head. Why did it have to be so difficult? The Element of Water had once revealed to her that love was the most wonderful thing in the whole world. It could make butterflies in your stomach and give you a happiness, which can make you feel like you can do anything. In addition, Aki felt that and yet she also felt like throwing up.

Aki walked silently out of the kitchen, still deeply focused in her thoughts. Her emerald eyes turned to the living room, where Master Splinter was sitting quietly. The old rat seemed so wise and experienced. He had been a father for the small turtles for many years and it was obvious the great love bond that was between the members of the mutant family. Aki licked her dry bottom lip as she wondered, if she should talk with the old rat about her feelings for his eldest son.

Would he be angry of them for feeling so about each other? Aki sensed that Splinter could be against his son having feelings for a human, since it would only be leading to pain in both hearts. However, it was different that Aki actually felt the same way, and maybe the rat could give her the advices she desperately was seeking. Master Splinter hadn't moved from the sofa, but Aki knew that Splinter probably had sensed her presence.

"Hey Aki," Master Splinter greeted as he turned his wise eyes towards her. "I see that you decided to stay with me."

"It would be too dangerous for your sons, if I had gone with them," Aki said and walked into the living room.

"I have always said to you that you are stronger than you believe child," the old rat reminded her gently as he pointed his finger at her. "And if you thought more about it, you would see the truth yourself."

"Rex is perfectly trained in her magic, I'm not," Aki said with sarcastic tone.

"And what makes you perfect in the use of magic?" Master Splinter asked curious and raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think that you can't be on the same level as Rex?"

"Well, for a start she was trained by her mother in the use of the fire," Aki explained with her arms crossed. "I was still on apprentice level."

"Yes, you was," Master Splinter nodded in acknowledgement, but then he bowed his head slightly to the side, as he gazed at her with intensity in his eyes. "But what about now?"

"What do you mean?" Aki looked at the old rat with a frowned forehead, as she was unsure where he was heading.

"You flew!" Master Splinter said seriously. "You flew in the air, saving my son and yourself from Rex. Don't tell me that Rex is stronger than you, Aki. You controlled your powers very well tonight."

"But..." Aki tried to protest, but was interrupted immediately.

"It is all about the mind child," Master Splinter stated and gazed firmly at her. "That is all that matters. If you control your feelings, keeping your focus on your spirit, then it doesn't matter if she has trained more than you have. You can control your powers Aki. You proved that tonight."

"Thank you Master Splinter," Aki said and smiled, warmed by his praising words. "It really means alot to me."

"My sons are going to find out where Rex is hiding and meanwhile we have to prepare ourselves as well on the upcoming battle."

"Yes, I need to finish the potion for Rex," Aki added and bowed her head slightly in shame, as she was embarrassed that she hadn't given much thought about making the potion.

At some point, this day had gone very fast. She had been interrupted in making the potion, when she heard the turtles outside her room, as they were on their way to their morning Ninjitsu training, and when Leonardo had disappeared from the dojo into his room for the rest of the day, she hadn't been able to continue on the mixture.

"How long will it take you to finish it?" Master Splinter asked.

"Not long," Aki replied. "I just need to mix some of the last herbs."

"Fine," Splinter nodded and rose from the sofa. "Then I will meditate while we wait for my sons return."

"Master Splinter?"

"Yes?"

Inside Aki cursed herself, but somehow it didn't seem like the right time to talk with Master Splinter about her feelings for Leonardo. After all the old rat had a lot on his mind while his sons were out on the surface. Aki gave a little shake of her head and decided that she could talk with Splinter later.

"Nothing important," she said and gave a wry smile to the elder ninja master. "I will go prepare the potion."

"Fine," Master Splinter returned her smile warmly and turned to leave the room. As Aki quietly walked up to the upper level of the lair, she began to think of her magical powers. Raphael had also told her that she was strong in her powers and when she thought about it, she had gotten stronger after she had met the mutant family. Yet she was worried, fire was stronger than air and in her head, a small voice reminded her that it could be a problem for Rex to take the potion, which would remove the fire magic from her body and mind. It would indeed be difficult to get close to Rex without being burned alive. How could it be done, so she would drink the potion? As Aki passed the doorway to Leonardo's room and gazed at the small bottles on the table, she suddenly got an idea that might work against their deadly enemy.

"So where are we going again?" Michelangelo asked and turned around on the front seat to face Donatello, who was starring intensly on a map on his computer screen.

"We have to get over Brooklyn Bridge," Donatello answered and pointed at the small red dot. "Rex is just on the other side not far from there."

Leonardo, who was sitting behind Donatello, also turned around on his seat and his eyes narrowed as he watched the red dot blink on the screen. As the leader of the small turtle group, it was Leonardo's responsibility to make the right decisions, so his brothers will not get hurt in the process. Leonardo rose from his chair and walked towards Donatello. He placed his left hand on Donatello's shell for balance as he used his other hand to point at the screen.

"If we drive here, then we will only be a few blocks away from her, and still remain out of sight."

"As long as you give me directions, we should be there in no time," Raphael remarked, as he stepped down his foot on the pedal to gain more speed.

"Good Raph… Hopefully, we will receive a lot of information, when we find her headquarter," Leonardo said.

"Yeah, finding out the numbers of guards and animals that she has in her control," Donatello added and sighed as he turned his gaze toward the drivers window where the Brooklyn bridge came into the horisont.

It was beautiful seeing the old bridge at night. At this time of day, there weren't any cars around to spoil the sight. When Donatello was younger, he had had an interest in the constructions of bridges and the history behind them. Brooklyn Bridge had been one of his favourites. The Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, stretched 5,989 feet over the East River connecting the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. On completion, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. Originally, it was referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge; however, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and formally so named by the city government in 1915.

As a child, Donatello had been fascinated by the style of the bridge. At the time the bridge was built, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world - 50 longer than any previously built. Additionally, for several years the towers were the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere. At night, the bridge was floodlit to highlight its architectural features, which made the beauty of it even more superior. The towers were built of limestone, granite, and Rosendale cement. Their architectural style was Gothic, with characteristic pointed arches above the passageways through the stone towers.

"Can you believe that 27 people died during the construction of the bridge?" Donatello mumbled as he thoughtfully pressed his index finger on the keyboard.

"No, I didn't know that," Leonardo replied and gazed in the same direction as his brother.

"It was the only passage between Manhatten and Brooklyn. Once there existed a rumour that the Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which crushed and killed twelve people".

"You know too much Donny," Raphael remarked tartly as he drove out on the bridge. "The only thing you need to know about it is that it is a fun playground for us."

"Hehe yeah, I once used my skateboard here," Michelangelo told his brothers and giggled loudly. "I almost fell in the river on my way down. It was a blast!"

"I remember," Raphael nodded and gave his younger brother a wry smile. "I was using my rollerblades."

Michelangelo laughed as he remembered the great time they had. "It was awesome. Cowabunga for the turtles!"

"I'm gonna smash your face soon, if you dont stop using that word," Raphael growled and pushed his brother gently on his arm.

"That's a great word," Michelangelo protested and gazed at Raphael with the biggest smile on his face. "It tells everything about us."

"No, it tells everything about you," Raphael said with a smirk. "Buffoon."

Donatello closed his eyes and sighted resigned at his brothers. Sometimes Donatello felt out of place, being the only turtle who actually enjoyed finding out more about their environment. Then he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder from Leonardo. His elder brother was probably the one, who understood his passion the best among his brothers.

_The sweet sound was so irresistible. Never had he heard such gently tones flowing around in his mind. It was surrounding his body and he could feel each beautiful tone tinkling through his blood. He could sense lotus flowers near him; the sweet scent was making him dizzy and happy at the same time. The music was calling at him, wanting him to do something… Kill the girl; kill the girl, the soft voices song for him. He felt relaxed and safe as he felt the music getting stronger as drums and the flutes began to play even faster. Feeling the tones in every inches of his body, he knew what he had to do. Yes, he would kill the girl._

As the turtles were almost halfway through on the bridge, Michelangelo noticed that something felt wrong. He had watched the steel wire cables for some time and he had found some weird white spots near the stone towers. In the beginning, the orange-masked turtle had first suspected that he might was imagining things, as he still didn't felt quite awake, but as they continued on the bridge and the white spots didn't disappear, he eventually felt a chill running down his shell.

"Guys, something is not right here," Michelangelo said and hoped his brother would see the same thing as he did.

"What do you mean?" Leonardo asked.

"Look at the towers," Michelangelo said and pointed out in the air as the Battle Shell passed the first tower. "There are white spots in the sky."

"Now you really sound crazy Mike," Raphael remarked dryly.

"No, I see them too," Leonardo said and turned his face towards Donatello. "Where is the red dot on your screen Donny?"

"Still on the same place," Donatello replied, but then he gasped loudly. "What the..? The red dot is suddenly here on the bridge out of nowhere. And that means…"

"That we're going into a trap," Raphael finished his brother's sentence and stopped the car. "Damn!"

"Why are you stopping the car Raph?" Donatello asked, as he couldn't see the road for Leonardo's shell.

"The road has been blocked," Raphael explained with a gloomy voice.

"By what?"

"Pigs, thousands of pigs," Michelangelo's eyes widened in shock by the sight in front of him.

Raphael merely growled as he had seen the same happening with the monkeys, but Michelangelo's heart was beating faster as the animals stopped a few meters from the car. All the pigs in front of him, wasn't the sweet pink pigs that existed on the farms. The animals were species from the pig family yes, but Michelangelo considered the wild boars as a lot greater threat than the sweet farm pigs. The big tusks on the sides of their heads were dangerous enough for Michelangelo's taste, as he had seen the use of them in wild nature programs.

"We have to get out of here quick," Donatello stated as he looked back on the screen. "Rex is coming towards us this minute."

"Turn around now Raph," Leonardo ordered with a firm voice.

"Sure," Raphael said but then he hissed irritated. "Can't do that either. Look back."

Leonardo went to the two backdoors in the car and opened it fast. He gasped as he saw another hundreds of different species of the pig family in various colours. Leonardo then looked out of the right corner of his eye and noticed what Michelangelo had seen as white spots on the steel wires.

"We are surrounded by pigs from both sides," Leonardo told his brother with a gloomy voice. "And hundred of hens are blocking us from escaping from the steel wires."

"That is a whole army of animals," Donatello said and gazed thoughtfully out on the pigs through the driver's window. "Aki told us that the flutes could call animals around the world, but she revealed to me that to control all these animals at the same time the flute players must be nearby them."

"Indeed," Leonardo agreed and nodded. "But we can't go out and find them. Every escape route is blocked by animals."

"Why don't I just drive through them?" Raphael asked and ignored the shocked looks he received from his brothers. "Come on! The battle shell can take them without a problem."

"Yes, but Raph, the animals are innocent," Donatello reminded him gently. "They don't know what they are doing."

"I know that," Raphael said and sighted heavily. "But excuse me that I prepare to save our shell instead."

"Raph has a point there," Michelangelo said and gazed nervously at Leonardo. "It isn't the animals which is the greatest threat to us."

"No, you're right," Leonardo said and closed the backdoors. "We have to get out of here, before Rex arrives. Turn the car around Raph and drive through."

"It is too late Leo," Michelangelo whispered.

Leonardo felt a big lump in his throat as he turned his eyes towards the driver window. Just outside in front of her army of pigs, Rex was standing with a cold and calm expression in her face. Her eyes glowed with inner fire, and she was absolutely beautiful, as she was standing there in black jeans and dark red shirt that matched her hair. Donatello thought for a moment on a spider, the black widow, really a beautiful spider, but deadly as ever.

"How can she have gotten here so fast?" Leonardo whispered to Donatello.

"I don't know," Donatello gazed at his eldest brother with a confused look as his went back to the computer screen. "She was far away from us, and then she suddenly appeared. I have no clue what has happened."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Raphael said and gazed harshly at Rex who smirked back at him. "What are we going to do great leader?"

Leonardo thought hardly about the situation. They could maybe escape with the Battle shell, if they were fast enough to spin around to the other side. On the other hand, Rex was a dangerous enemy, a master of using her abilities of fire magic.

"It is too soon," Leonardo mumbled so low that his brother couldn't hear him, and then he said a bit louder. "We need to make a distraction to get away from her."

"Don't think she will give us the opportunity," Raphael said dryly.

She had created a fireball, which flew just a few inches above her hand. She smiled at the turtles, as she seemed to pity their situation. Yet they all knew that she loved the fact that they were trapped on the bridge. She held her head slightly to the side as she smiled gently at them.

"Where is Aki?" she asked and then laughed. "No, don't answer. I know that she is hidden somewhere in the sewers. A shame really…"

"What do you mean?" Raphael growled as Rex trailed off.

"Well, it doesn't matter where Aki is. She is dead anyway," Rex giggled as a little girl as her eyes shined in triumph. "I won."

"You can never reach Aki!" Leonardo burst out, as Rex's words made him fear for Aki's safety.

"So you think," Rex said and shook her head in disbelief. "Did you really think that she was beyond my reach, when I have all the flutes in my possession?"

"You can't hurt her," Leonardo said and had to calm himself for not seizing his katanas and go on direct attack on Rex.

"Can't I?" Rex asked with her eyes widened in wonder, and then she laughed and looked confidently at them. "And where is your father?"

"What?" Leonardo asked confused by her comment.

"Oh Shell," Donatello said behind him. "The rat is one of the Chinese Zodiac signs"

_As he walked into the kitchen, the soft sounds were still embracing his mind, caressing his thoughts gently. The sweet melody told him to relax and all his worries had eventually faded away. He hummed as he opened the kitchen drawer, where he knew the knives were. _

_Kill the girl, kill the girl the voices commanded him. It was clear in his head that the voices were right. It was the girl, who had been the problem. He just hadn't realised it before. She was the reason why Rex was in New York, and she was causing his eldest son pain in his soul because of the love he felt for her. Yes, the girl needed to die. _

_Splinter took a firm grip around the big meat knife and looked at it with a bright smile on his face. It would be perfect for his purpose. The old rat closed the drawer and began walking up to the upper level of the lair. He knew where the girl was hiding and it would be easy to strike her. Master splinter was humming the tones of the melody gently as he was getting near the entry to Leonardo's room. Then he trailed off. The voices reminded him to be quiet, as the girl shouldn't hear his presence. _

_Master Splinter nodded in agreement and walked with silent steps towards his target. She was concentrating in adding herbs to her potion and didn't make any notice that someone was behind her. When the old rat was merely a meter away from his target, he lifted the knife up to make his deadly attack. Only one thing was on his mind, the girl wouldn't get out of this room alive._

"No, it can't be true," Leonardo whispered. "Master Splinter would never hurt her."

"Think you better believe it Leo," Donatello remarked with a dark voice. "Master Splinter is a mutant rat, but a rat nonetheless."

"And look at all these animals," Michelangelo added and pointed out on the army of animals behind Rex. "It is no problem for her to control all these animals at once, and I'm afraid that even Master Splinter can go under her control."

"Why would you think that Mike?" Leonardo said and turned his eyes towards his younger brother.

"You know… We didn't want to bother you because we know that you are having a hard time and all," Michelangelo said and looked with great concerns at his brother. "You know because of Aki… But I have noticed that our father behaved strangely lately."

"Yes, I noticed that too," Donatello said and Raphael nodded in agreement.

"Have I been the only one who haven't seen it?" Leonardo asked in wonder.

As his brothers confirmed it, Leonardo got a feeling of shame piercing though his heart as a sharp knife. He felt awful that he hadn't noticed if something had occurred to his father. However, Leonardo didn't have the time to worry about his own guilt in the matter, as Rex laughed at the shock she saw in their faces.

"Hehe, you didn't realise that," she said with a huge smile on her face. "Really, it is just perfect for me to kill you, when you know that Aki will die because you left her alone with your father".

"That's enough, you're dead lady," Raphael hissed angrily and seized his Sais.

"No, Raph, back!" Michelangelo screamed loudly as Rex rose her fireball with both her hands.

"No more games," Rex said with a cold voice and gazed at them with her black eyes burning of rage. "You will taste the power of the fire."

Raphael didn't have time to react fast enough with his weapons in his hand, and Michelangelo reacted with lightning speed, pushing his brother to the side, grabbing the wheel with his hands, and stepped down hard on the pedals, while he quickly set the car in reverse. Leonardo gasped as he was thrown back in the car by Michelangelo's fast movement. Michelangelo shrieked when he heard the explosion and saw flames in front of his eyes, but as the seconds went by and he realised that they hadn't been hit, he began to laugh of relief.

"Shell that was close," he signed.

"Well done Mike," Leonardo said and rose up from the floor.

"Indeed Mike," Raphael added, placing his weapons back in his belt and pushed his brother back on his seat with a wry smile. "But you have to go on a diet Mike."

"Hey, I just saved your shell," Michelangelo said and tried to see through the window, but all he could see was flames.

"We have to get further back," Raphael said and began driving, when he felt the car bumping while they heard terrifying shrieks from the pigs outside. "Ups think I hit some pigs."

"We can't turn around, there aren't enough room," Donatello said and turned on his outside camera on the Battle Shell's rooftop to get a better overview of the bridge. "If I just could see what the fireball did, then… oh my… she has blown a big whole in Brooklyn Bridge."

"A big whole?" Michelangelo gulped as he thought that he and his brothers could have been hit by the fireball. "That's not good."

"Indeed, we can't go back or forward. Rex is on the other side of the whole," Raphael pointed out and turned his head towards Leonardo. "What are we going to do Leo?"

Leonardo knew that he had to make quick decision. The flames were too high now, but it wouldn't take long before Rex would get a clear shot of them again and then they would be doomed for sure. Furthermore, Aki was in great danger, so they needed to get back at the lair fast.

"Drive forward," he commanded firmly.

"What! Are you insane?" Raphael burst out and looked at his brother with disbelief. "There is a whole in front of us."

"It is our only choice," Leonardo said and went back to his seat and fastened his seat belt. "Go!"

"I better warn you Leo. I will kick your ass if we die on this thing," Raphael hissed angrily.

"I will take the chance," Leonardo said and sighted heavily. "We're dead anyway if we stay here."

"But…," Michelangelo was thinking of another way to get out of the situation, but he was empty of ideas. "How long is there down to the water?"

"Don't worry about it Mike," Donatello said with a little smile, trying to comfort his little brother. "Just think it as a new adventure like the time where you jumped down in the water from extreme high grounds down in the sewers with our monster friends."

"Well, yeah that was fun," Michelangelo smiled and hold tight with his six fingers on his seat belt. I'm ready!"

"Cross you fingers, because we have to go now. The flames are getting lower," Leonardo said.

At Leonardo's command, Raphael pushed his feet on the speeder. The Battle Shell went forward with incredible speed and with Michelangelo yelling "Cowabunga!" out from the window, Rex saw her enemies throwing themselves from the burning flames into the big whole, she had made. At first, she was stunned by what she had seen. Had they been so stupid to drive into the whole to make an escape route?

As she removed the flames from her side, she walked to the edge of the whole to gaze down in the water, where the turtles had disappeared. She waited several minutes, just starring at the blue surface, but nothing came up. Then she seized her mobile.

"The turtles had gone into the water," she said and tried to calm down her anger, which was burning inside her body. "Have you seen them?"

"The animals have been scouting the waters," the voice from the other end informed her. "There is no sight of them. They must have drowned in their car."

"Somehow I doubt that," Rex said with irony. "They had a bad habit of getting in my way, when I least expect it. I want you to send the snakes down to the sewers in case that they come back there. I want Aki dead, you understand?"

"Yes Milady," the voice answered, then she hung up.

God, she hated that she had to have people working for her, but it would be impossible for her to play on all the flutes and control the animals at the same time. Her people were loyal to her though, they had served her since her time in China where she was controlling the school of fire in the order of "The Five elements". She knew that she could trust them, and it made it possible for her to have time to make plans for getting control of the world. She had a special flute in her possession, which would make all the difference once her enemies were dead.

As she took a final look down in the water, she hoped in the heart that it was the last time she had seen the turtles. It was a long way down, and most people would never survive a fall like that. As Rex turned around, she couldn't help but smile in triumph. As Aki soon would be dead, it would mean that Rex would be the only person alive, who contained the powers of the Five Elements. The world would finally be hers.

A/N: Well, what did you guys think of the chapter? Rex finally seem to have won or have she? Hehe, well I'm really sorry leaving your people with a cliffhanger, but I won't update the next chapter before three weeks from now at least. This is cause of my exams and I can't write as I have to study hard. Please feel welcome to share your opinions with me and I'll promise to update as fast as I can :D


	23. The sound of the rat

A/N: Yeah! My exams were finally done for this year, I have passed them all and with good grades on the side :D So when the summer holiday had arrived, I had hoped that I could find some time to write on my story. Well, I have to admit that I was wrong. With me having to work and move to a bigger apartment at the same time, made it nearly impossible to spare some time for my writing. I want to thank KittyGrl24, Sensible One and Simone Robinson who gave their time to write reviews for me. It was really a joy to read, so thank you. And to Simone, I will see if I can find the time to read some of your work as well. Enjoy the next chapter...

As Aki was about to raise the bottle up in the air to examine the content, something stopped her movement. She narrowed her eyebrows, as she sensed that something was near her. A presence. It felt strange. It was a powerful feeling which surged through her body, like if it was radiating towards her in air waves. And yet she couldn't hear a sound. She focused on the weird feeling, trying to embraced it with her soul. Then she gasped loudly as she discovered an awful truth. Someone was in the room and the person was hostile.

"No!" she burst out and twirled out from the attack she knew was coming for her.

The knife slashed through the thin air with lightning speed where she had been standing with her back. It was incredible and though she had reacted quickly, she hadn't been fast enough. The swiping blade had made contact with her skin, as she had tried to escape from the deadly blow. Aki cast a sidelong glance at her left arm, where the knife had streaked a thin line of blood. Her blood. Then she looked up to face her attacker and she gazed in shock as her eyes met the emptiness in an old rats eyes.

"Oh my..." She stuttered and swallowed hardly

Within one second Master Splinter attacked again and Aki reacted instantly by spinning away from his deadly blade. She felt really confused. It couldn't be true what was happening, it simple couldn't. Why the hell was Master Splinter attacking her? The old rat raised his weapon once again, aiming for her neck, and Aki bent down on her knees to avoid the blow. It was clear to her that she had to react quickly or she would be dead in a few seconds. As the blade spun in the air above her, Aki lifted her bloody arm towards the old rat.

"I'm really sorry," she whispered and felt the magi running through her veins toward the palm of her hand, making the airwave that would send Master Splinter towards the brick wall.

Aki bowed her head slightly to the side and gazed down at her right arm, which was still holding the magical potion. She was clenching the flask so hard that her hand was shaking. She stood there for a few seconds on her knees with her left palm of her hand still pointing at the wall, where Master Splinter was lying. The old rat was silent and his hand had let go of the knife, which was on the floor a few inches away from his fingers. The red colour on the small blade, made it shiver down her spine as she suddenly realized how close he had gotten to her. Aki looked at her hand, which was shaking wildly from the shock. At some point she noticed that small blood drops from the wound had hit the floor, but it all seemed unreal to her.

She felt a memory flashing by as she recalled her actions only 10 seconds before the attack. She had nearly been finished with the potion, only adding the last herbs. The dark blue colours in the flask had varied in different tones, as if she had seen into the depths of ocean water. It had reminded her of her former leader the Element of Water, who once has showed her the many shapes and colours water possessed. "Many people just see the normal blue colour, but water contains so much more than we know. It is the way of giving life to us all."

Aki had felt a thick lump in her throat and had swallowed hardly. She had missed her leader so much. Though it had become easier over time to think of her, it had still brought tear in her eyes. No wonder since she had been thinking of the people which she had considered as her own family. A family; which Rex had destroyed with deep cruelty in her heart. Aki had wondered if Rex sometimes regretted the evil things that she had done against the order. She had after all also been growing up the same place as she in China.

It was at that point she had felt a hostile presence behind her, but she would never have thought in a lifetime that the attacker would have been the father of the dear turtles. Why had he attacked her? The question was brothering her greatly, as it didn't make sense at all. Aki rose from the floor and stared at the old rat. She wasn't safe in the lair any longer, she knew that much. Then she heard a moan coming from the rat's body and she gazed nervously at Master Splinter, as he rose from the floor. When the ninja master faced her and looked at her with pure emptiness in his eyes, Aki got the thought that she might not survive the night.

The water surface was quiet. The light from the city was glowing like thousand stars in the night. It was a dreaming sight to look at, but he hadn't got the time to gaze at the light. His name was Three. His real name wasn't important, as he only reacted to his number among his companions. He was the third in command of Rex's minions and he was really proud of it. As he stood on the ground next to one of the pillars of Brooklyn Bridge, he wondered how crazy they must have been in trying to search for some dead mutant turtles. When Rex had announced that she had gotten the flutes in her possession, most of her men had thought that they would begin taking over the world immediately. Instead Rex had silently planned how to get her vengeance over some freak creatures. Three couldn't understand it, and his superior leader One had just told him to shut his mouth. "The eleven will get their treasures, don't worry," he had promised him with a severe voice. "She is just curious about these odd creatures Three. That's all."

Yet it hadn't made sense. Was Rex afraid of some freaking turtles and her old enemy Aki? Three had to admit it that he still couldn't understand why his mistress worried so much about her enemies. With the power of the flutes they could do anything as they pleased. Their enemies wouldn't be able to beat down their weapons; even the whole world was defenceless against their enormous power. They had found a way to get control of a large part of the animal kingdom, and Three was proud of himself as he thought about how far he had gotten in his life. In his position, he had received a great honour by becoming the keeper of the dog flute. It was one of the most powerful of them all. In his power was the whole family of different dog species, which also included wolves. Three's body shivered with joy by the thought.

When he had been a child, he had been teased a lot because he didn't have a father and as he had grown, people's teasing had gotten even worse. They made fun of him because of his hair, of how he dressed. The list had seen almost endlessly. But they had been wrong about him. Now he worked for the person who was about to become ruler of the world and he was a man with ambitions. Though he would never dare to go against his mistress - that would mean certain death - he had thought about how his life would change, if he became One instead of Three. Then he would get the flute of the tiger and be the leader of Rex's most trusted followers. Three sighed happily by the thought and had to resist an urge to clap his hands. In his heart, he knew that there was still a way to go before his dream could get true.

Three was standing patient near the pillar, waiting to hear some news from the water and he was getting a little anxious by the situation. Even though New York was shining from thousands of light, the coast along the river was partly covered in shadows from the building nearby. Furthermore where he stood, there was almost dark as the shadows from the bridge pillar covered him completely. He didn't know why he suddenly wanted to complain about the place, where he was standing, since it was himself who had chosen the spot. Three hadn't had any intentions of being discovered by the citizens and therefore he had found a dark spot to hide with a perfect view over the river. However, he felt a shiver down his spine and he felt an urge to scream and run away from the pillar.

He gazed nervously above his shoulder, his eyes went back and forth to see if there was anyone behind him, but he couldn't see anything but darkness. He took a deep breath, feeling the air running through his lungs, as he tried to calm down. Yet, it didn't succeed, and he wondered why he felt so worried. At one sec he was thinking about calling some dogs to his aid, when he suddenly noticed something breaking through the water surface. Three smiled as the divers swam towards his direction. Ah finally, Eight and Nine had been in the river for nearly 20 minutes and he was curious if they had some news for their mistress.

"So did you find them?" Three asked with a harsh tone, so it became clearly to his men that he had gotten impatient with them because of the long waiting time.

"We searched the river thoroughly and we found them," Nine announced and looked annoyed at his superior.

"It took a long time," Three remarked tartly and reached his hand out to them to help on the ground. "Are they dead?"

"Yes, they are," Eight replied immediately while Nine just gave Three a sharp gaze. "Some of the windows had broken and we saw the turtles flowing inside the vehicle. They are drowned for sure."

"So the turtles are dead. You didn't take any proof with you?" Three asked and gave them a why smile while he threw a sack of clothes to his men. "A little souvenir for our mistress, a hand or something."

"I didn't like touching those THINGS," Nine said with disgust as he began to take his wet suit of. "It is bad enough that we had to try looking for them."

"I totally agree with you there," Three nodded in nonchalant voice. "But I still think that Rex would have been happy to have something as a reminder of the turtles' death."

"That was our thought as well," Eight said dryly and gave an orange bandana to his superior. "I hope that she will be thrilled about this. I took this from one of the bodies as it belonged to the turtle that was nearest the broken window."

"Nicely done," Three was impressed and happy that he could give something to his mistress as a proof.

"Remember that it was me and Eight who found it," Nine growled and rose from the ground, fully dressed and with the wet suit in his hands. "I don't want to hear that you took all credit for this."

"How can you think of me like that?" Three asked surprised and tried to sound as innocent as he could. "I would never take the full honour for this."

"You better don't" Nine hissed and pointed threatening at him. "Because I get really pissed if I hear something else."

Three smirked with arrogance and gazed firmly at him as if he cared less about Nine's threat. "Remember that I'm in charge of this operation. I will tell Rex everything what have happened tonight, but don't forget your place Nine. Or I will have you replaced."

Nine gave him a sour sidelong glance as he walked passed him and Eight followed silently his friend. Three gave a small shake of his head and then smiled brightly. As if he would give credit to the others for their finding! This was the perfect opportunity to bring his mistress in a good mood about him. Three smiled in triumph and lifted the orange bandana for a closer look. The great danger of the turtles was history. Full of joy he seized his mobile phone and called directly to Rex.

"Mistress, the turtles are dead," he announced thrilled and his eyes sparkled with happiness of being the one bringing her the good news.

Then he winkled his forehand as Rex seemed to doubt his words. "No Mistress, I'm positive. The turtles drowned inside their vehicle and I took one of their bandanas as a little gift to you."

Three laughed a little as he was happy to hear praise from her. He knew that she would like his gift. "Thank you mistress, thank you. Yes, we will come back to the headquarter."

His smile had never been bigger than now where he hung up the phone. Finally he would get somewhere, a promotion seemed nearly in reach and he rubbed his hands in anticipation. It was at that second that he noticed something strange happening in the water, as a small glow of light seemed to break the water surface. It seemed like a flashlight, and yet it seemed impossible since his men had gotten up from the water. His eyes narrowed as he tried to get a closer look and he stepped further towards the edge.

He gasped and his eyes turned bigger when he saw a small toy coming up to the surface. It was swimming silently in the circle of light. Three licked his bottom lip which had gotten dry in the cold air. Somehow it seemed wrong to him that a toy suddenly appeared out of nowhere and he wondered if he should call the others. Three studied the toy and he felt an awful chill down his back. It was a turtle dummy! He opened his mouth to yell at his men when he felt a sharp pain in his back and he shrieked briefly as he fell forward and felt into the water.

"Too late," Raphael mumbled and gazed down at the water, where small bobbles came to the surface.

Within a few seconds Leonardo's arm grabbed into the edge and Raphael help his brother up, as he knew that Leonardo couldn't hold the man in one hand while getting up. Leonardo was silent, as he placed the unconscious man on the ground. Then he turned his head to Raphael, who smirked confident.

"Don't worry. I have taken care of the others," he said.

"Good," Leonardo nodded and pressed a purple bottom on his shell cell. Almost instantly Michelangelo and Donatello broke the water surface on the point where the light circle had been. It had vanished in the second; Donatello had turned his flashlight off. Michelangelo was holding a meter long stick in his hand and he giggled as he waved with the turtle dummy, which hung on the top of the stick.

"Stop playing Mike," Donatello said with a wry smile as he swam towards the shore.

"Hehe, but it is funny," Michelangelo said with a bright smile, but he quickly followed his brother. "Well, it wasn't me who brought the toy Don."

"It was merely in my bag in case if we needed to make a diversion Mikey," Donatello tried to explained but he resigned as his brothers laughed at him.

"Yeah, like the pigeon", Raphael added and laughed.

"Haha, I didn't knew what was the most scary part about that mission," Michelangelo said cheerful. "That the thugs bought the bait or that Donny actually had a toy in his bag...I have to admit that I was surprised that you had a turtle dummy also."

"Well, it worked didn't it?" Donatello said as he pulled himself up to the surface.

"Indeed it did Don," Leonardo said and squeezed his brother's shoulder lightly while he gazed proudly at him. "You saved us all tonight Donatello."

"Thanks Leo," Donatello said, blushing in his cheeks by the praise. "However I'm afraid that the Battle Shell is out for good."

"Until you make a new one even better for us," Leonardo smiled and gazed at the person on the ground near them. "You think they suspected anything Raph?"

"Nope, it worked as planned," Raphael said with a dry voice. "His men told him that we were dead and he had confirmed that to Rex."

"Hehe, those men were chickens," Michelangelo said and imitated their enemies scared to death by the sight of the drowned turtles. "Look at me; I'm scared of the big turtles! It was so fun seeing them argue outside the front window. They couldn't agree if they should touch the dead bodies."

"Lucky for us, they didn't" Raphael remarked and faced his brother with a gloomy expression in his face. "Otherwise they would have noticed that it was big turtle dummies."

"I suspected that they wouldn't investigate us that thoroughly," Donatello said and bent down on his knees near the body. "The humans are scared of us."

"I know," Raphael said and then he trailed off.

He watched along with his brothers Donatello, who began to search after some ID on the man. Meanwhile there was a thick air of silence. Raphael's mind was flowing with chaotic thoughts. Donatello's words had hurt when he mentioned the humans fear. Raphael had always hated the despise, he could see in the human eyes every time they saw him. Even the people that he had tried to help from evil villains had turned against him nine of ten times. It bothered him a lot that appearance meant so much in the human world. He and his brothers were trying to protect people if they saw someone getting attacked, and yet humans always judged them to be freaks and resembled them with the attackers as well. And it was hurting Raphael's heart more than he wanted to admit. Mostly he just ignored the searing pain in his chest, every time he was reminded of the fact that humans were afraid of him and his family.

"Hey, I found something," Donatello announced and pulled something out from his jacket.

"It is a flute," Michelangelo gasped and reached out for the flute in Donatello's hand. But he wasn't fast enough.

"Hey Raph, give it to me."

"No," Raphael said with a hoarse voice and looked closer at the drawings on the side of the flute.

"I think it is the flute of dogs," Donatello said as he rose from the ground.

"It should become useful," Raphael remarked with a wicked smile as he gaze at Leonardo, who have been quite for some time.

"Indeed," Leonardo nodded and then moved his eyes towards the genius turtle. "Did you find something more on him Don?"

"Nope, there was just the flute," Donatello gave a little shake of his head to confirm his statement. "There is no ID on him whatsoever. I don't have a clue who this person is other than it is one of Rex's buffoons."

"I will check the others," Raphael announced with a dry voice and cast a sidelong glance at his genius brother. "But I have something that might twinkle the little brain cells of yours Don. This man called one of the others for Nine and the other was called Eight."

"Numbers?" Donatello asked and frowned his forehead while his thought began to wonder. Raphael gave a wry smile before leaving his brothers. He knew Donatello well enough to know that he would figure it out sooner or later what the meaning was with the men's name calling.

"Numbers have special meaning," Donatello mumbled concentrated.

"They do?" Michelangelo asked and looked curious at him.

"Yes, some numbers have special magical meaning," Donatello nodded. "Like the numbers 3, 7, 9, 11 and 13."

"Don't forget the number 23," Michelangelo remarked and smiled brightly as his brothers gazed at him with great surprise. "What? You never saw the movie 23?"

"Not exactly," Leonardo said with a gloomy voice while he thought about the fact that it often was movies or cartoons which gave Michelangelo the knowledge he possessed. Leonardo had often felt sorry for his youngest brother that it was so hard for him to concentrate on his studies. When it came to books, it was something that Michelangelo preferred to stay away from, and yet Michelangelo's knowledge has often proven useful as he was an expert on some subject where his brothers had to pass.

"Then you missed something Bro. That movie was awesome! The main character could se the number everywhere," Michelangelo told him but Donatello quickly rose his arm to make his brother silent.

"Sorry Mike, but I need to concentrate on this," he said and his eyes were glimmering seriously at him.

Michelangelo closed his mouth and nodded in acknowledgement. After what they had been through the last evening, getting attacked on the bridge by Rex while Aki was in grave danger, Michelangelo knew that it wasn't the time for him to tell about the great movies he had seen. By the thought of Aki he had turned to Leonardo who quickly moved his face away from him. Something told him that Leonardo had been thinking the same thing as he was sure that he had seen water in his brother's eyes. Michelangelo walked towards his brother and gave his shoulder a light squeeze to show Leonardo that he understood the pain which was tearing him apart. Leonardo signed and grabbed his brother's hand and Michelangelo felt sorry for him.

"You should go for her," Michelangelo said with a voice full of compassion. "I know that you are worried sick if she is okay."

Donatello wondered what Michelangelo was talking about, when he suddenly recalled Rex's words on the bridge. The expression on Leonardo's face, told Donatello that he oldest brother was clearly worried for his love and suddenly Donatello felt bad about being so occupied by the investigation of Rex's men that he actually had forgotten all about Aki.

"I agree Leo, you should go after her," Donatello said softly.

"She might be dead now," Leonardo felt a big lump in his throat and had to fight an enormous battle inside himself for not breaking out in tears in front of his younger brothers.

"She isn't" Michelangelo said and tried to sound confident about the matter.

"How do you know that?" Leonardo sniffed and turned his shell at them as he removed the tears of sorrow which began to roll down his cheeks.

"Have you felt her soul?" Michelangelo asked and turned his brother around while he shook his shoulders lightly. "Have you felt her soul Leo?"

"Yes, I have," Leonardo nodded. "Her soul is burning my mind. She is everywhere. I can feel the softness of her skin, the pain of her past scorching her like the flames of hell. I can feel her love for the world and the great compassion which she has for every creature on this planet."

"Then she is still alive," Michelangelo said and tried to keep himself calm, as he knew that Leonardo needed some strength from his family. "You would know if she was dead."

"Yes," Leonardo said and suddenly the life began to return to his eyes. "Yes, you're right Mikey. She is alive!"

Leonardo hugged his brother tightly and gazed at Donatello. "Can you and Raphael handle to find Rex's hideout without me and Mike?"

"Just go," Donatello said with a warmth smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I will let you know when we find it."

"Thanks Donny. Come Mike, I need your help right away," Leonardo said and ran fast towards the nearest manhole.

"For what?" Michelangelo asked and followed his brother's speed with ease.

"It isn't only Aki, who is in grave danger," Leonardo said with a firm voice. "Master Splinter is under the control of the flute. I will rather be dead than letting our father get into the witch's hands."

"I couldn't agree more," Michelangelo said but inside he was worried. With their father as an opponent, they were screwed. He was a master in the art of Ninjitsu and neither he nor Leonardo would be able to beat him. Suddenly Michelangelo felt a sting in his heart. Aki didn't stand a chance at all. It would be a matter of minutes, seconds before she would be killed. Leonardo ran as if flaming fire was after him and Michelangelo followed every of his movements with precision through the dark tunnels underground. The time was running out.

A/N: Well, what did you guys think of the chapter? Will they be able to save Aki in time and will Donatello be able to figure out the meaning of the numbers. Well, I will try my best to update as quickly as I can. With the moving finally over, it shouldn't last more than 2-3 weeks. Please, please feel welcome to share your opinions with me. I'm so thrilled to see so many readers follow my story and as I want to improve myself as a writer it is important for me to hear your thoughts and ideas :)


	24. Hidden in the darkness

A/N: Hey all. I hope that you all had a blast into the new year of 2009. I finally got the next chapter ready. It was hard, as I seemed to have a writer's block, where I was just couldn't manage to concentrate on my story and write the next chapter. Bad thing indeed… Furthermore, school took my attention with a lot of exams during the year. It went very well, so finally I can make some time to my writing. I'm really sorry for the big delay, but my education is very important to me. Well, the chapter is finished now. Moreover after the long time, I took the time to read my story again and therefore a couple of changes have been made in some of the chapters to make the story more fluent. They are written at the end of this chapter, but for getting the full experience you might want to read those chapters again. I will really like to thank those, who gave their time to write reviews on the last chapter. It really means a lot to me that you speak out your mind to me, giving me both critism and praise. Hehe, I could talk forever about how great your all are, but better go on with the next part in the story. Will the turtles reach Aki in time? :) Enjoy…

Aki swallowed hardly, as she kept her eyes straight on every movement from the old rat. He hadn't attacked her yet, but she knew that was only a matter of seconds. The pounding wound from her arm told her that she wasn't dreaming. The kitchen knife, which he had used as a weapon, was still lying on the floor. Aki breathed heavily and tried to find some kind of reaction in the rat's eyes, but they seemed empty of life, as if he was mindless like a zombie.

"Or controlled," Aki mumbled and gasped by the realization.

At some point, it had surprised her that he had attacked her with a kitchen knife, when she knew that he was perfectly able to kill her without using a weapon. As a master in the martial art of Ninjitsu, Master Splinter had learned several moves that would have killed her easily. However if it was the case that Splinter was reacting to the flute of the rat, then it could be that the rat wasn't aware of half of the abilities that he possessed. Aki signed deeply of relief, though she was perfectly aware of the great danger she was still in. However, now she knew that she might have a chance of escaping from him.

Then she had no time to think any longer, as the old rat made his move. His hand lashed out toward her face, and Aki knocked it aside with her right arm, which was still desperately holding the bottle with the magic potion. His other hand was already halfway to her chin with his palm ready to connect with her skin, when she reached her left arm to grab his right wrist, and she held it with a firm grip, as she spun away to the right. Aki tried to make a move on him, kicking him and using her grasp on his arm to throw him to the floor, but the rat saw it coming and she had to let go. Even though he was under control, his reactions were fast and he was still able to avoid her offensive attacks. How clever had Rex been to take control over the turtles' own father!

Aki knew that she had to get in control of herself to escape from him. She had to contact the turtles and tell them what had happened to their father. Nevertheless, the situation seemed impossible, as the rat had decided to attack her in a fierce melee battle, and his lighting movements made it difficult for her to get away from him, so she could use a direct airwave towards him. There was no time for her to consider her next move. It was merely movements and Aki had to rely on her instincts to avoid most of his attacks.

Then the most terrible thing happened, she missed a beat. Master Splinter dropped down and swept her feet out from under her, and she felt a sharp pain in her right hand, as she made sure that the bottle didn't touch the ground. Before Aki realised what was happening, she was lying on her back, starring at master Splinter, who jumped in the air to make a final deadly kick with his feet.

"NO!" she screamed and rolled quickly to the side.

Master Splinter didn't hesitated and spun with his leg in a circle, which connected with her muscle near her spine, and Aki burst out a yell of pain, as she held the bottle close into her body. She rolled away from him, and tried to find a way to get up from the floor, but he wouldn't give his victim that opportunity. Every time, he kicked either her legs or her back, which threw her to ground. She was getting tired.

Aki tried to find her strength and find the power inside her. She had to fight even harder against him, even though she was afraid that it would break her heart in the process. She didn't want to hurt the old rat, but he really made it impossible for her to have any choice. As he jumped again to make an attack straight-line towards her head, she turned her hand against him, making a new airwave, which threw him away from her.

"I'm not going to let you hurt me!" Aki hissed and gazed frustrated at the old rat.

Then she turned around, as she tried to calm herself down. Her breathing had gotten heavy and it had become painful every time she got air into lungs. It felt like they were going to explode and at the same time it felt like she couldn't get enough air. She placed the magic potion on a nearby shelf, knowing in her mind that she only had a couple of seconds before the old rat would attack her again.

"If I could feel Leonardo's soul, I can feel my element just as easily," she mumbled and for the first time ever in her life, the words seemed to have a meaning.

Raphael and Master Splinter had told her that she had more strength inside her than she had imagined. And now she found herself actually believing them. Aki closed her eyes as the darkness removed the chaotic scenes around her. She could no longer see anything. It made her focus on the powers, which had been kept hidden inside of her for so long. Once, her angry feelings had given her the ability to send Raphael up towards the ceiling. It had at that point shocked her that she had been able to keep him there, but her feelings had made her magic even stronger, fierce and intense.

Aki opened her eyes slightly and gave a little smile of confidence. It was a strange uncommon feeling to her, but she liked it. She could sense the different structures of air moving around in Leonardo's room. The waves in the air reminded her of tiny lines of spider web, where she was the spider, able to feel every move that was being made. When Master Splinter raised his body from the floor, she could sense it. When he turned his body around, she could sense it. When he lifted his arms in the air and bowed down a little to make a jump towards her, she gave a little shake of her head.

"I won't hurt you, and you won't hurt me," She stated out loudly and spun around to face him.

The old rat shrieked with fierce anger in his voice, when he felt invisible strong arms lifting him up towards the ceiling. He tried to strike out with his arms and legs, but he couldn't fight against thin air. Aki's smile got even bigger, as she finally was able to control her powers. She was no longer the Apprentice of Air. She was the Element of Air.

"Thank you so much for your spiritual guidance," Aki said thankfully to the rat, who was screaming with deep frustration, as he was unable to attack her. "After all if it hadn't been for you and your family, it might have taken me so much longer to learn the depths of my magical abilities."

Aki heaved a deep sigh, as she knew it was impossible to get in contact with the old rat. Master Splinter was under control of the magical flute and while it lasted, he wouldn't be able to register her words at all. Aki sat down on the floor with her legs crossed and tried to relax. She knew that she couldn't leave the room. She would eventually loose her touch on Splinter if she left the room where he was. It would make it harder for her to make him stay in the air, when the space between them got further and further apart. However if she stayed and meditated while she focused her mind and her power on keeping the old rat at the ceiling, then she might make it until the turtles came back to the lair. Aki closed her eyes, and removed most of the thoughts from her mind. Only two persons remain in her thoughts; Master Splinter and Leonardo.

Many humans had never set foot in the sewers beneath their city. Most people didn't even regard the tunnels with a single thought in their busy life. They were a dark unknown place, which many people decided to ignore. After all, they weren't visible to their eyes. This night the tunnels were used by two creatures, which had known them all their life. The creatures would scare most humans if they were seen, as many people won't accept something different from the world. They were considered as monsters, freaks of nature. Maybe this was one of the reasons why the sewers had always felt like a home to them. The darkness of the tunnels weren't judging them; it was protecting them from being seen. As the two creatures had normal grown up, they had travelled a lot through those tunnels, knowing every way, every secret passages and corridor.

"Hurry Mikey, we have to move faster," Leonardo whispered quietly as he waved for his brother to come to him to show that the next passage was clear.

"I know," Michelangelo nodded and laid his hand firmly on his brother's shoulder. "Take it easy. We will make it."

"She is still alive," Leonardo mumbled but then he bit his bottom lip. "But for how long?"

"Don't you worry about it!" Michelangelo cut him off more roughly than intended, but he immediately regretted the harsh tone. "Sorry Leo, but you should only keep your mind on the fact that Aki is alive. Otherwise you will hurt yourself more than you need too."

"I know," Leonardo signed deeply. "I'm just so worried about her. I can't get back to the lair fast enough. She is in grave danger!"

"I'm not the one holding you back bro," Michelangelo smiled wryly.

"Wait," Leonardo burst out and stopped immediately. Michelangelo looked at him with a frowned forehead, as he wondered what was the matter with his brother.

"What is wrong Leo?"

"Nothing is wrong. I… I can sense her," Leonardo whispered and gazed at his youngest brother with a warm smile. "She is feeling calm Mikey. She isn't scared anymore."

"So she is all right?" Michelangelo asked to be sure if he had understood Leonardo correctly.

"She is feeling safe," Leonardo nodded and continued towards the lair. "But I wonder what has happened between her and our father."

"Yeah, Aki against master Splinter," Michelangelo shivered just by the thought of it. Then he heard Leo's shell cell ring.

"It's Leo," Leonardo answered.

Michelangelo sat down on the ground while he waited for the conversation to end. Leonardo was speaking quietly, as he was still very careful about being heard by any of Rex's men, so Michelangelo was merely able to hear some of the words. He quickly guessed that it was either Raphael or Donatello who had contacted them to tell them about their progress. At some point, Michelangelo hoped that it was Donatello, as Leonardo and Rapheal hadn't been the best of friends lately. The orange-masked turtle had long suspected that Aki was the reason why the two brothers had gotten further apart. Michelangelo had seen the small sidelong glances from Raphael towards Aki, and he had noticed the dark pain glow inside his brother's red mask. Michelangelo signed and crossed his arms while he relaxed his head on them. Though Raphael always had been a hard person to figure out, Michelangelo had learned his signals and his behaviour, and he knew one thing; Raphael showed his emotions quite clearly to his family, if they looked carefully enough.

"It was Donny," Leonardo said and hung up the phone. "They have left Brooklyn Bridge now and are heading towards Rex's hideout. I have told them to be careful."

"I can't imagine that it was the only reason for Don to call us," Michelangelo remarked with an ironic smile.

"Hehe, you know Donny. He has made a very interesting theory about the numbers of the men," Leonardo told him in a severe tone.

"What theory?"

"Raphael had found two flutes on Eight and Nine. It was the flutes of the horse and the monkey. Donatello was thinking that maybe Rex's men were using the numbers as a system of influence like in a witch coven."

"A witch coven with 13 people?" Michelangelo gazed at Leonardo in disbelief. "So they have super powers too?"

"No," Leonardo responded with a slight shake of his head. "They are using a similar system, but they don't have magical powers. They are quite normal people who want to help Rex in her goal for global power. Donatello told me that he had made a list over the 12 chineese zodiac sign and he discovered that there might only be 12 people in Rex's organisation."

"Hehe, to be honest it has never been the minions who were the actual problem," Michelangelo laughed as he thought about the many thugs, they had fought against the last couple of years and then it shivered through his spine. "It has always been their evil leaders."

Leonardo giggled as he watched his brother's reaction. "Don't be so scared about them Mikey. We have always won against our enemies."

"In the end yes," Michelangelo agreed with an ironic smile on his face. "After they have beaten us the shell out of us a couple of times."

"Well, better win the war than a few battles," Leonardo smiled brightly.

"Bah," Michelangelo burst out in discontent by his brother's remark. He recalled their battles over the years, and then he smiled as well. "Hehe, we kick shells."

"Indeed we do," Leonardo agreed and clapped his youngest brother lightly on the shoulder.

The two brothers continued with fast steps through the dark sewer tunnels. Both of them moved with steady movements as they ran on the small pathways on the left side of the stinky green water. They knew every corner of these parts as it had been their home for several years and it would be impossible for the human ear to hear the sound of their feet touching the rough surface. Master Splinter had given his sons a perfect training in how to walk silently on ground while remaining hidden from the light. The darkness was now their strength.

_The beast felt every movement through its body. The weak sounds of their feet hitting the surface and the vibrations it made in the water were easy to sense for the beasts sensitive green skin. The female couldn't hear them that clearly, but the vibrations were enough for the beast to follow every movement which the two creatures made on the ground. Sometimes she lifted her head above the water surface and flicked her tongue out to sense the environment around her. She had heat-sensing pits along her lips and the organs helped her to detect the creatures' body heat even in dark conditions_. _Even though her sight weren't good, she could sense their body movements without any problems. They were walking with fast steps on the path next to the water, but it was easy for the beast to follow their speed as the water was its natural element. With perfect speed and balance the female beast moved her long and narrow body from side to side in the dark gloomy water. Though she hated the smell of these waters which were unfamiliar from the place where she used to live, she knew that she had to follow her instincts and attack these creatures beside her. As an animal she was used to follow her natural instincts but it was an unusually feeling that the urge for attacking them was as strong as it was. _

_However, the beast didn't consider why she felt this way. After all, she didn't think much about her actions. The only thing on her mind was that she hadn't eaten for over a week and therefore she was hungry! The instincts in the beast were guiding her through the dark waters, and she was swimming a few inches below the surface which would make it almost impossible for the creatures to detect her presence. _

"Leo?"

Leonardo slowed his movements, as they turned to a tunnel to the left, following the fastest path towards the lair. When he heard his brother's voice, he cast a quick glance at Michelangelo. The orange-banded turtle was looking at him with an anxious glint in his brown eyes and Leonardo wondered what as gotten into him.

"What is wrong, Mikey?"

"I think that something is following us Leo," Michelangelo told his older brother with a serious tone in his voice, so Leonardo was sure that he wasn't kidding with him.

Leonardo stopped his movement and turned around to face his brother. "I haven't sensed anyone nearby," Leonardo said and looked at his brother with an uncertain glance in his eyes. "Are you sure Mikey?"

"Well, I'm sure that I saw something in the water just a second ago," Michelangelo said and turned his head towards the water beside him. "It is like seeing a long branch moving in the water, but I can't see it now."

Leonardo cast his eyes on the dark green water, but it was impossible to see anything in the water. Even though both turtles were able to see in the dark tunnels which would seem like total blackness for most humans, it would be hard to see anything in the polluted stinky water even if something was down there. Leonardo turned his gaze at Michelangelo who was shrugging his shoulders while he gave a small shake of his head.

"Maybe I saw illusions," he wondered but Leonardo could sense that Michelangelo was feeling more nervous than before.

"I will keep a close eye on the water as well," Leonardo promised and smiled comforting at his youngest brother. "But it was maybe just a rat Mike."

"Yeah probably," Michelangelo nodded in acknowledgement at his brother, as Leonardo's words sounded reasonable to him. Then he moved his hand to the back of his head and massaged the tensions in his neck "Well… Normally a movement in the water wouldn't bother me that much. It is just that after Rex has turned up again… Well, I don't know."

"It is okay to get nervous Mike," Leonardo said with a calm voice and gazed at his brother with a stern look in his eyes. "We have experienced at lot tonight."

"Yeah, we have," Michelangelo said, but this time with sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry Leo."

"Don't be," Leonardo said with a warmth voice. "It is better for us to keep an eye out. Rex's people can be everywhere."

"Let's continue," Michelangelo said and took a deep breath. "The faster we get back to the lair, the better."

Leonardo nodded and took the lead again. They were moving with great speed as they both were getting anxious to see how Splinter and Aki were doing. Leonardo's heart had calmed down as he sensed that Aki's soul felt more secure, but he was still deeply worried as he hadn't been able to sense his father. The fact that he might be under the control of a flute was of a great concern for both turtles who loved their father more than anything in the whole world. Michelangelo cast a sidelong glance at the water beside him and then ignored the nervous feeling in his stomach. It was probably his mind which was playing tricks on him.

_The female beast hadn't moved an inch as the two creatures had stopped their movements. Something inside her had warned her to stop moving as they had tried to look in the water for signs. It would be impossible for them to see her. Her underbelly scales were lighter in colour than the others, but they wouldn't have a chance to see it as she had shades of green and brown colours in her scales and therefore seemed like flowing into the colours of the stinky water._

_When the creatures began to move again, she followed them with the same speed. She needed to close up on them. She was the predator closing in on its prey. The beast was looking forward to her meal. Her massive jaws gave her a powerful bite, which would be an advance for her when she would strike with her surprise attack. In her jaw she had more than 100 sharp, back-curving teeth which would prevent her prey from pulling away. She was getting closer and she moved her head slightly above the surface to get a clear view on her prey. They hadn't noticed a thing. She knew who was going for her first strike. The creature who was walking behind the other one would be the closest and easiest one for her ambush. She moved a bit closer towards her prey and knew at that point that it was the right moment to strike._

"ARGGGG, HELP!" Michelangelo yelled out as he felt a sharp striking pain in his foot.

He heard Leonardo calling his name, but everything happened so fast that he didn't have any time to react. A lot occurred within a few seconds. First he felt a sharp pain in his left ankle from the beast's teeth; then he lost his balance as the creature swapped its big body under his feet making him fall to the ground. Michelangelo shrieked in pain, as he felt himself loosing control over his arms which were quickly entangled as the beast moved its enormous slim scaled body around him and his shell. It is a giant snake! Michelangelo thought and gasped as the creature pulled him down under the water with the purpose to drown him.

"Michelangelo!" Leonardo burst out with great fear in his voice.

He knew that his brother wouldn't have a chance to hear him. Within a few seconds his youngest brother had been victim from an ambush attack from a huge snake which with great speed and swiftness had pulled his brother under the water. Leonardo reacted instantly by pulling his katanas out from the back of his shell. There was no way that he was going to let his brother die, and as quickly as the beast had pulled Michelangelo under the water as quickly did Leonardo follow them without any hesitation in his mind to safe his brother's life.

Michelangelo tried with all the strength of his body to get out from the grip of the snake. His muscles in his arms were tensing by his actions, but he knew perfectly well that he had to get his hands loose or else he would drown. Michelangelo felt the snake's powerful coils tightening around his shell and his torso and he gave up on his attempts to get loose. His legs were unable to move as well, and it became clear to the normally cheerful turtle that he was in a really bad situation. The beast would use constriction to squeeze him to death and though Michelangelo with his turtle mutation could stay longer under water than humans, he knew that it were only a matter of a few minutes before the coils would prevent him from breathing. In his heart Michelangelo hoped that Leonardo was able to kill the snake fast since it was impossible for him to save himself. The enormous pressure on his shell and torso were very painful. However Michelangelo knew that his body shell and his turtle mutation were the only reason why he was still alive.

Michelangelo sensed that his eldest brother was nearby him, as the snake began to struggle more with attacking with its head. However it was all blackness for Michelangelo. The only thing, which indicated that his brother was with him, was the many waves of water movements around him. Michelangelo felt the air in his lungs getting thicker and it was getting really painful to try to keep his conscience. Somehow he believed that Leonardo maybe was too late.

Then he suddenly felt the pressure disappear and though the snake's coils still remained around him, Michelangelo finally was able to move his arms and legs. He then felt a hand with three fingers touching him lightly on his shoulder to give him hope of rescue. Leonardo loosened the snake's body around his brother, and Michelangelo swam quickly towards the surface as his lungs were screaming for air. As he broke the water surface and felt the stinky sewer smell down in his chest, Michelangelo had never felt more glad or thrilled to be alive.

"Are you okay Michelangelo?" Leonardo asked and pulled his brother to the edge of the pathway next to the water.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Michelangelo assured his brother with a shaky voice.

Normally the brothers used their full names if they were really worried about one another, and Michelangelo felt great warmth running through his heart. He was surprised as he suddenly felt tears coming into his eyes. The love from his brother meant more for him than words would ever describe. Michelangelo sniffed as he tried to prevent the tears from coming out. He didn't want to show his weakness in front of his brother. However, it was like Leonardo could sense his emotions. He didn't know if Michelangelo's tears came from the shock of the ambush attack that had nearly killed him or if it was something else that were bothering his youngest brother, but he did the only thing which felt right at that movement. He took his brother into his arms and hugged him tightly. It was a close brotherly moment for them. Never had Michelangelo experienced Leonardo so comforting and understanding. Sometimes Leonardo could be hard to get close to, but in this second they were as close as ever.

"Thank you Leo," Michelangelo said as he let go off his brother and removed the water from his cheeks. "You saved my life there."

"I'm just glad that I saved you in time," Leonardo said with a gloomy tone in his voice, as they pulled themselves out of the sewer water.

"We're gonna smell like shit," Michelangelo giggled and sat down on the ground as he gazed at the dead snake in the lake. "That was close though."

"Indeed it was," Leonardo nodded.

"I'm just glad that I was walking with you," Michelangelo said and laughed. "Would have been a problem with Donatello with his bo staff".

Leonardo smiled at his brother and then turned his eyes toward his katana, which were covered in dark blood. The snake had put up a fight and he was thrilled that Michelangelo had been able to keep his breath that long. Leonardo had known that the beast were trying to drown him while squeezing him to death, but when Leonardo had swung out his weapon against the snake's head, it had dodged his attack and bitten him at his left arm. The pain from the small wounds was still itching like crazy, but Leonardo was trained to ignore the pain in situations like this. Master Splinter had long time ago taught them that in a fight it was easy to get hurt and that every ninja had to train to ignore the pain and focus on the battle. Otherwise it would reduce the chances of survival. With his second attack Leonardo had made a clean cut over the neck behind the snake's head. His slim blade had run through its scaled skin with ease and the beast had died within seconds. As these thoughts ran through his mind, Michelangelo moved slightly toward the edge, and Leonardo noticed that he pulled the beast out from the water.

"Mikey, What are you doing?"

"Leo, have you seen the size of this thing?" Michelangelo burst out in surprise as he placed the dead beast on the ground.

Leonardo was silent, as Michelangelo laid his hand over the cold scales of the beast. His three fingers touched the rough skin and he softly placed his other arm beneath the huge creature and loosened it out from its coils to figure out how big the creature really was. Leonardo gazed curiously at his youngest brother. It occurred to him that Michelangelo didn't seem much affected anymore by the tact that this animal had almost crushed every bone in his body. But then it occurred to him that maybe Michelangelo had thought of something that made him more curious about the attacking beast.

"It is over 26 feet or so," Michelangelo exclaimed with a sudden thrill in his voice as he normally did when he was excited. "Wow it is huge!"

Michelangelo gasped at the sight of the snake. He ran his fingers over the entire body from the tail to the neck where Leonardo's katana had cut trough. The orange-masked turtle felt a shiver down his spine as he recalled that snakes of this size weren't common to live in the sewer of New York. Something or worse someone had brought the beast down here with the intention to kill them.

"Leo, I can't say that I can remember all the animals on the Chinese zodiac signs, but wasn't there a snake among them?"

"Oh Shell," Leonardo heaved a deep breath down his lungs as the paralyzing truth became clear to him. "This is Rex's work."

"This is awful Leo," Michelangelo said with a downhearted expression in his face. "How are we ever going to reach Aki in time?"

"Shit," Leonardo cursed loudly as he bended down on his knees.

Michelangelo stared at him and was shocked by the expression in his face. The strong brother has disappeared. Leonardo's fists were clenched tightly together and his hands were shaking lightly. The pain in his eyes was so fierce that it took the breath from Michelangelo lungs and he quickly regretted his words.

"Leo, I…," Michelangelo apologised.

"We have to go," Leonardo cut him off and his emotions were almost instantly hidden behind a stone face. "I can still sense her Mikey, so I know that she is alive. We just have to hurry."

"There might be more snakes than this one Leo," Michelangelo reminded him and added with a wry smile. "And I don't know about you, but I have had enough snake-loving for one evening."

Leonardo smiled back at his brother, rose up in his full height, and then turned his eyes at the tunnels in front of him. "Look, there isn't a long way back to the lair. We'll keep along the walls and remain in a safe distance from the water, so we don't get giant snakes ambushing us again. Until we reach the lair, we don't say a word to keep our ears focused on any sound nearby us."

"Sure thing Leo," Michelangelo nodded in acknowledgement.

"You can take it as a good exercise in using stealth," Leonardo remarked and winked at his younger brother with a glint of humour in his eyes. "After all you could use some practice."

"Me?" Michelangelo laughed and passed his brother. "I'm going to get to the lair first you know?"

"No, you don't," Leonardo answered and followed instantly to catch up on him. As they left the dark tunnel, the only remains in the sewers was the dead body of a giant snake.

Aki opened her eyes, when she sensed something was coming closer towards her. She had felt Leonardo's presence, but a little voice inside of her warned that it was something different. She turned her face to the ceiling, but Master Splinter was still just staring at her with emptiness in his eyes. She felt a chill running down her spine as she only dared to keep her emerald eyes at the old rat for brief moments at the time. There wasn't any sign of his soul and she knew that he would attack her instantly in the same second she would let go of her spell on him. At some point he frightened her with his staring glazing eyes, as he had stopped with his attempts to get down.

Aki wasn't feeling tired yet and she knew that staying in the room had been a good idea. As she recalled from her incident with Raphael it had been much harder for her using the air to keep a person flying around if the distance were too large between them. However Aki felt concerned. If it wasn't Leonardo or Master Splinter who had caught her attention during her meditation, then who had?

She cast a brief glance at the rat before turning her back at him. It was maybe something outside the room which had made her nervous. Aki walked with tiny steps towards the walkpath outside of Leonardo's bedroom. As she gazed down at the lower level of the lair, she suddenly felt the urge to scream out loud. The sight in front of her was so horrible and terrifying that she struggled not to go into panic. Rex is going to kill me, Aki thought and felt sick by it. Never had she seen so many snakes in her entire life!

Aki turned her face to the side and gasped loudly. She walked back a few steps as she stared at the snakes which were coming up the stairs towards her. Aki had always respected and feared snakes as the deadly predators they were, but she had never imagined in her entire life that she was going to become their prey. She ran instantly back to the room, grabbing the magic potion in her hand. She gazed at Master Splinter, who was still hanging in the ceiling. It was the turtles' father. She had to protect him and herself from the danger. So many kinds of snake species and many of them were deadly, what was she going to do?

A/N: So what did you all think about the chapter? Plz feel welcome to place your comments as I like to read them as your feedback are important to me as a writer. I have made the following changes throughout the story. I really apologies for the changes, but when I read the chapters again, some things came up which I hadn't noticed during writing:

Chapter 7:

Neither Rex nor Aki can sense the aura of the flutes. It has been removed, as it made conflict and confusion in the story later on. It have been changed, so the Elements of Five have the ability to sense one another and their apprentices and therefore Rex can sense Aki's magical aura in the chapter.

I removed Rex's capability to heal her own body. It seemed even for me afterwards to overpowered and supernatural. I have changed it, so she took lesser damage when hitting by the bomb and that she used potions and herbs mixture for the quick recovery, but it has nothing to do with Rex as the Element of Fire.

Chapter 8:

It turned out for me that Rex had too many of the powers that were the characteristic for the Element of Air, so it has been removed that she is able to keep people stuck in the air, but she still has her wind shock wave, as it is standard teaching for all elements and their apprentice to learn this defensive spell.

Chapter 10:

There have been some rewrites about Aki's powers to make the understanding better about how her magical powers work at the time.

It has been changed that the Element of Water was able to read thoughts. Even though I enjoyed the idea, it made conflicts with how Rex has been able to hide her exact thoughts from her and with second thought it seemed a little too overpowered as well. So instead the Element of Water has the ability to sense intentions.

It has been made so there is only one child among the descendents of the Elements of Five that can receive the gift of magic when one of the elements dies. They can discover which child has the gift by sensing the magical aura around them which are the sign of that child is chosen to become the next element.

Chapter 20:

There has been added a more clarifying explanation of why Rex shares some of the same spells as Aki. They are common spells, which are learned when they are apprentices and don't have their full magical power yet. When an element dies, the apprentice will get full extend of the powers and have individual magic hidden inside of their body and soul. However, it can only be learned how to use these powers at 18 years old as the person need a mature personality to comprehend the using of powerful spells.

Chapter 22:

There has been made a change about the using of the flutes, as it was causing conflict later in the story. The flutes are now able to call animals all over the world to the flute player, but to be able to _control and command_ the animals; the flute player has to stay nearby the animals.


	25. Escape from the lair

A/N: Hey all again. Here I am with the next chapter to the story. A lot of things are going to occur and even Leonardo will find himself in a situation, who he had never thought that he would be in. I would like to say a big thanks to those, who took their time to write a review for the previous chapter. It was nice to read. Enjoy…

Leonardo turned his eyes towards the brick wall in front of him. He had just exited the last tunnel which led to the location of the lair's entrance. For humans it would be impossible to see anything that even indicated any signs of a door. Leonardo knew that it wasn't Donatello, who was the one to praise for such a thoroughly hiding entrance. The lair was a building in the sewers that other creatures had made, but it had been abandoned for many years now. The turtles had discovered the creatures' identity for almost a year ago, when something strange had occurred in the dark tunnels. Monsters had been walking around and though it was a dangerous task for Leonardo and his brothers, they had chosen to find out the truth behind it. What they had discovered wasn't only why the monsters were in the sewers but they had also seen the origin behind the making of the lair. As Leonardo narrowed his eyes and silently turned his head from side to side, he gave any no more thoughts about it though. His heart was too concerned about the two persons, he loved the most.

Michelangelo placed the palm of his hand on his brother's right shoulder to insure his brother that he was with him. The orange-masked turtle was quiet as well, and the silence between the two brothers had given the normally cheerful turtle some time to think about what had happened in the sewers earlier. Michelangelo felt a shiver running through his body as his mind brought back the picture of the giant snake which had attacked him. He had never seen such a large snake that close in his entire life and at some point he wished that it was going to be the only time as well. He could still sense its dreadful coils around his torso and shell and without even noticing his own movements, his hands quickly ran up and down his arm as if his body wanted to make sure that the snake wasn't around him. Its purpose had been to strangle him to death. Leonardo cast a sidelong glance at his youngest brother. Michelangelo tried to keep a stone face, but the small wrinkles in his forehead showed his concerns. Unlike his oldest brother, Michelangelo had never been good at hiding his emotions.

Leonardo could understand why his brother was suffering after being the victim of a giant snake. He had almost died from him. Leonardo clenched his hands tightly together and turned his brown eyes towards the entrance of the lair. This was all Rex's doing. It was her, who had commanded one of her men to get down in the sewers to use the flute of the snake against them. Leonardo hadn't any illusions regarding their enemy. She had showed for them the last month how dangerous and cruel she was and her move with taking their father under control and using snakes against them was more than enough for the blue-masked turtle. He wouldn't let anyone threaten his family and he swore deep inside his heart that he was going to stop Rex at whatever cause.

Leonardo leaped with great speed and landed on one of the big pipes within a few seconds. Michelangelo was quick to follow him. As they had travelled through the sewers, they hadn't seen any more animals but the giant snake. However they weren't going to take any more chances as they knew that it was their life which was at stake. Leonardo pressed one the pipes in a special code which Donatello had designed for them and swiftly some of the bricks removed themselves as an electronic panel arrived instead.

"Somehow I'm glad that Rex don't have a flute of the turtle," Michelangelo whispered in a low voice.

Leonardo stopped before pressing on the panel keys and turned his gaze towards his youngest brother, who was looking at him with a humorous glint in his eyes. "Seriously Leo that would have been a bummer. Then we would be Rex's dummies, doing like this."

Leonardo couldn't help but smiling as his stupid brother began to imitate a puppet's movements while he had a goofy expression in his face. However; Leonardo's gaze immediately turned serious as he turned back to the electronically panel. He knew that Michelangelo was trying to lighten up the atmosphere between them, but Leonardo was getting stressed and when he got in that mood, it was best for Michelangelo to lay off his humour remarks as Leonardo didn't think that it was the right time to goof around. Michelangelo signed deeply as he also noticed his brother's serious gaze. Sometimes he felt sorry for his oldest brother that he didn't have time to relax. As Leonardo began to press the code on the panel, Michelangelo suddenly heard a faint sound, and he quickly placed his hand over Leonardo's to make him stop.

"Shh, listen," Michelangelo asked him with a firm voice. "I can hear something."

Leonardo frown his forehead as he wondered what had caught his brother's attention. Both turtles were standing still without moving a single muscle. Then Leonardo heard the noise as well. A faint sound of whispering movements caught their sensitive ears. Leonardo turned his face towards Michelangelo who nodded in confirmation. The noises belonged to animals which they had encountered in the sewers only minutes before their arrival to the lair.

"Snakes," Michelangelo concluded with one word and began to shiver lightly as he recalled his last encounter with a snake. "Do you think that there are more of them like the one we met in the tunnel?"

"I'm not sure Mikey," Leonardo responded as he was clueless of what exactly was behind the entrance door. "But it is weird… I'm still sensing calmness within Aki's mind. However; if the lair is full of snakes, then how can she be calm?"

"I don't know bro," Michelangelo answered and gazed upon the blue-masked turtle with an uncertain expression in his brown eyes. "Everything is acting strangely since Rex came back."

"I just hope that she is okay," Leonardo said and it was clear for both of them to hear the worries which he had for his love.

"Leonardo, I'm sure that she is fine," Michelangelo said seriously. "She has gotten much stronger the past few days."

"Yeah, I know, but it was after…," Leonardo trailed off, as he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Michelangelo about the kiss they had.

A terrible kiss which had confused them both deeply. Leonardo regretted his actions as they stroke painfully in his heart as he recalled their kiss. And yet there was a little feeling that was hard for him to ignore. A little thrilling excited emotion made his heart beating faster by the thought of their shared kiss. For as a little voice inside of him told him; she hadn't pulled away from him either when he pulled her closer into his arms. And whatever would happen after this, Leonardo knew for sure that he would always keep the incident deep within his heart. It would be his happiest and most painful memory.

Michelangelo gazed at his brother and watched the different emotions running through him. Leonardo was normally very good at hiding his true emotions from his brothers, as he hid his feelings behind a cold stone face, but sometimes, especially when regarding Aki, the blue-masked turtle's defences would crack. It was at that point Michelangelo found the courage to tell Leonardo that he was fully aware of his most painful secret. "Leonardo, I know you love her."

"What?" Leonardo looked at his brother with deep surprise in his eyes. However it quickly turned to rejection. "No, I don't Mikey. Don't be silly."

"Why are you lying to me?" Michelangelo asked and gazed at his brother with a stern gaze. "I have known the truth for a long time Leo. There is no reason to try and hide it from me."

"But how have you…?" Leonardo felt confused as he hadn't given it a thought that his brothers would have discovered his feelings for the young Asian woman.

"It wasn't hard Leo," Michelangelo had to admit and gave his brother a wry smile. "After all you have been acting all crazy since we met her."

"Do you all know?" Leonardo asked his youngest brother.

"Uhm…," Michelangelo mumbled and tried to avoid the piercing look from the blue-masked turtle. "I'm not sure Leo, if the others have noticed it or not."

"Do you all know?" Leonardo taunted and ignored his brother's last comment.

"Yes, we do," Michelangelo then confirmed and finally met his brother's gaze. "We are all aware of your love for her."

"Also Raph?" Leonardo asked.

"Also Raph," Michelangelo answered with a single nod of his head.

"Oh shell," Leonardo burst out and turned away from his brother. "This is horrible."

"No, it isn't," Michelangelo disagreed. "We are your brothers, not your enemies. The only thing that really matters is to save her, Leonardo and you know that!"

As he heard his full name being said, Leonardo turned his focus back to the entrance door and almost regretted that he had been so obsessed with how his brothers had discovered his secret. Though Aki was feeling calm, he didn't have a clue about what have happened between Aki and his father. Could he even be sure that Aki have stayed inside the lair with the snakes running around? Maybe it was all an illusion. Maybe Aki have died and found peace in death? The thought alone made his heart crumble and he quickly removed the thought from his mind. He had to see, what was going on, before making fake images of what might had occurred.

"I have to get in, but I have to be careful," Leonardo said and pulled out something from his belt.

Michelangelo knew what his brother intension was. He had taken a small gadget which Donatello had made for them to their walkout in the sewers. It was kind of a resembling to an ancient ninja tool and weapon; called a shuko, and Donatello had used it as an inspiration for his invention. Like the shuko, this crawling tool was made of two horizontal wide bands which were connected to each other by a vertical band. Donatello had used the metal material from the shuko, but instead of having small metal claws on the inside of palms of his hand, Leonardo had three small electronic circles which were used like magnets on the sewer walls. The shuko had been handy for the ninjas in the ancient Japan with the wooden houses and stone blocks which had small cracks to grip on, but in the present day builders have gotten experience in building more solid walls and therefore Donatello had changed the shuko into a new crawling tool, which made it possible for the turtles to crawl on every wall they met. They had one disadvantage against the old shuko though; it couldn't be used as a weapon. Yet, Michelangelo loved them. They worked and were making it possible for the turtles to climb on even the steepest wall in the sewers. It had been pretty useful for them many times. Michelangelo smiled as he glanced at them. The tool always made him feel like Spiderman. It was at that point that Michelangelo had noticed that Leonardo hadn't mentioned him in his sentence.

"You're going in there alone?" he asked in wonder by his brother's decision.

"Yes, I am," Leonardo responded while he put the gloves on his hands.

"But why don't you want me to go with you?" Michelangelo gazed confused at him.

"Because there are merely two options for me in there, either Aki is fine along with our father and the snakes, or she is dead with our father and the snakes," Leonardo told him with a severe voice.

"But…," Michelangelo tried to intervene, but was quickly interrupted.

"I don't need help in there Mikey," Leonardo cut off gently, while he placed his left hand on his brother shoulder. "But what I do need help with is maybe the most important task of all. Can you do that for me Michelangelo?"

Michelangelo gazed at his oldest brother who was starring at him with serious look in his eyes. Michelangelo knew better than most that when Leonardo had made up his mind, there wasn't many things to do than to accept his orders. Furthermore, Michelangelo trusted him. Even if Leonardo seemed a bit unbalanced by his concerns for Aki, Michelangelo knew that Leonardo as their leader in the turtle team had main focus on what was best for the family. He just didn't hope that their leader was thinking about sacrificing himself because of it.

"If you get hurt in there, I'm going to kick your shell," Michelangelo remarked with a wry smile. "But what do you want me to do then?"

"If the snakes and our Sensei are under control, then there must be flute players near the lair. Find them!"

"Sure thing boss," Michelangelo smiled and hugged his brother tightly. "Be careful Leo."

"You too Mikey," Leonardo said.

As Michelangelo quickly left the area to scout around the nearby tunnels, Leonardo turned his focus to the electronic door panel. He was still standing on the big pipe, which suited him well as he was aware that he had to avoid the floor. He suspected that there may be more snakes in the lair than he expected and Leonardo wasn't a turtle who was known for taking unnecessary risks. As he pressed one of his fingers on the key panel to implement the turtle code, his heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation of what he was going to find in there. He was soon going to see if Aki was still alive.

As the door slid to the side, Leonardo narrowed his eyes as he saw the first snakes coming out of the door way. It was after all something he had expected. With great speed he crawled around the wall through the door way and when he was on the other side, he quickly closed the door again. As the door smacked into its right position, it killed a few snakes as they were cut through by the weight of the heavy door as it met with the wall again. Leonardo then turned his attention toward the lair and gasped surprised. This was above his wildest imagination. The blue-masked turtle swallowed hard and found himself in a situation which reminded him of the Indiana Jones movies, where the snakes were covering the floor. At this point he was glad that the walls were so steep that it was nearby impossible for any snakes to stay on the bricks. Otherwise he would have been dead in a second.

There were thousand of them! Their coils were moving around another in different directions and twirling among another. They were all in different shapes and seizes and their overlapping scales varied with a different variation of colours. Leonardo hadn't the greatest knowledge about snakes but he knew some that might help him indentify some of the more dangerous species. He guessed that most of the snakes were non-venomous like some of the snakes he recognized as corn snakes, Burmese pythons and garter snakes. On the other hand; he knew perfectly well that Rex must have ordered a large amount of deadly snake to take part in the attack.

Leonardo had read once that cobras, vipers, and closely related species were using venom to immobilize or kill their prey. The venom was delivered through their fangs. In common humans venomous snakes were classified in two Venomous snakes are classified in two taxonomic families: The Elapids and the Viperids. The fangs of these more advanced venomous snakes like Viperids and elapids were hollow in order to inject venom more effectively Some even talked about a third family known as Colubrids. The rear-fanged snakes had merely had a groove on the posterior edge to channel venom into the wound. However not all in the third family were venomous. As far as Leonardo recalled, then snake venoms were often prey specific where its role in self-defense were secondary. And as he gazed upon the floor of the lair he still couldn't recognize many of the species.

"Leonardo!"

The blue-masked turtle drew a deep sigh of relief as he heard her voice roamed through the room. He turned his head toward the middle of the lair, where he saw Aki and Master Splinter flying above almost a few meters above the bridge, which were covered with snakes. Leonardo wasn't as brilliant and clever as Donatello, but he held some knowledge about the more venomous snake species and it ran cold down his shell as he realized that most of these were collected on the crossing bridge which they had over the small lake in the lair.

Most of the snakes were twirling around the floors but some were crawling on the side and top of the bridge trying to reach his love and his father. Leonardo swallowed hard as he gazed upon the Black Mambas, which he knew was the largest and most deadly snake in Africa. The Black Mambas were very agile snakes and the fastest snake in the world in terms of moving speed. Donatello had told him that the reason for it being called the black mamba came from the fact that it was black inside its mouth. Its body were however light greyish. Among the Black Mambas he noticed white and black coloured snakes, rattlesnakes and coral snakes, which were easy to recognize due to their distinctive coloration. There were snakes, which had dark coloured bands of varying widths across most of its body except for the tip of their tails, which almost looked greenish or yellowish to him.

However; the most terrifying sight was the cobras, which had risen up in their total height where they tried to spit after Aki. Normally the spitting was often used as a defence against the cobras' predators and humans couldn't die from a spit from a cobra snake. Nevertheless; Leonardo was glad that Aki was flying a few inches from the ceiling, making it impossible for the snakes to hit her. Aki had also known that she had to be cautious as the venom in the spit wasn't something to joke with. It could cause blindness.

Aki turned her head toward the blue-masked turtle and she was surprised that she suddenly felt tears coming to her eyes. Leonardo's gaze was so intense. How could she have been so blind not to see the great love which he held for her? One look at him showed her the deep emotions which he had for her. He had been worried for her and so had she for him. It stroked her that she might have had some concerns if the turtles would have returned to the lair. If Rex was able to make this attack on her, then what hadn't the turtles experienced in the city?

"Aki, please let me come to you," Leonardo asked and looked at her with a pleading look in his brown eyes.

Aki couldn't resist his plead. After all she wanted him close to her. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her, as it made her feeling safe and protected. Aki moved the air beneath his arms and lifted him up towards her. As he came to her, she felt a shiver down her spine. Leonardo wasn't thinking straight. He was so happy that she hadn't died from him. If he had been thinking straight, he would had kept his distance, but when he had seen the worried look in her emerald eyes, he found himself lost. She had been scared. He could see it and yet he felt so proud of her that she had found herself in using her powers. It had saved both hers and his father's life.

As he was only a few inches from her, he realised how badly he had missed her and the only thing on his mind was to hold her tight and close. The emotions were too strong to resist. Aki felt the soft touch of his fingers on her chin. The three fingers caressed her gently as if she was made of glass, and she finally let off her frustration. Leonardo brought her into his arm and pulled his hand behind her neck to move her even further. She was crying. Leonardo planted his lips on the side of her head and sniffed the wonderful scent of rose flowers.

"I knew you were still alive," he whispered. "I could feel it."

He lifted her head to face him and her face was covered with tears. He removed gently the water with soft strokes with his hands and she seized his hand and placed a small kiss on the palm of his hand. Leonardo quickly removed his arms away from her as stroked by lightning and as she gazed at him, he avoided her look shyly. It wasn't the time to talk about their feelings for each other and they both knew it. After all thousand of snakes were beneath them and Master Splinter was still under control of a flute. As Leonardo turned his face towards his Sensei, he felt like knives were stabbing his heart. The rat's grey eyes were empty and seemed dead. In his mind Leonardo hoped that Michelangelo would have success in finding the one who was controlling him.

"I was so worried," Aki said and coughed a little. "When the snakes arrived, I was beginning to think that Rex had killed you and your brothers."

Leonardo considered if he should tell her what have happened on the bridge, but he decided that it wasn't the right time. He knew that Aki's powers were counting on her concentration and therefore he wouldn't tell her something that might bring her more out of balanced.

"We're all alive and safe," he assured her. "Donatello and Raphael are out scouting for her hideout and Michelangelo are searching for the flute players which must be nearby to control the snakes… and…"

Leonardo trailed off and took a sidelong glance at the rat. Aki nodded in understanding and grabbed his hand to give it a comforting squeeze and this time he didn't remove his hand from her. She could sense the disturbing feelings inside of him, and she knew that it must be very hard for Leonardo to see his father like this.

"Did he attack you?" Leonardo asked and turned his eyes to her.

Aki swallowed and wasn't sure how to say it, but Leonardo's firm gaze told her that he was seeking an honest answer. However; before she got the chance to answer him with the right words, he turned the hand he was holding, which was still covered in the blood from the kitchen knife. "Yes, he did," he confirmed for her and gazed at her with dark gloomy eyes.

"It isn't a serious wound," she said and tried to give him an encouraging smile.

"Yes, it is," he interrupted and his eyes became seriously worried. "He could have killed you."

She turned her gaze towards her arm. The wound had gotten a more darkish red colour and she had to admit that she didn't like the sight of it. She knew that it would need to be cleaned to prevent any infection. However; the wound wasn't as serious as Leonardo presented it. It had stopped bleeding for almost an hour ago and the blood has already started to dry out on her skin. She turned her face toward him and gave a mild shake of her head.

"He didn't. And take a closer look at it. It isn't a serious wound."

After studying the wound a few more seconds Leonardo nodded in agreement. "You're right. It is just that…"

"I know," she smiled and squizzed his hand lightly. "But I survived it due to the training that you and your family gave me. I felt his attack coming."

"How long have you been flying around here?"

"I honestly don't know," she responded. "When the snakes arrived I decided to fly out here with Splinter. I tied the magic potion around my belt and decided to wait here a bit in case you returned… But such a long time went by that I began to think if Rex had killed your all."

"Rex encountered us, telling us about the attack she had made on you," Leonardo told her, but kept the details from her. "When we escaped, Michelangelo and I hurried down here to save you. It was strange, but I could sense your emotions and I knew that I had to hurry."

"I tried to contact you mentally, but I have no idea if it actually helped you," she admitted and gave him a weak smile.

"I felt that you suddenly got calm and relaxed," Leonardo continued and then gave her an uncertain look. "It was actually at that point I began to worry, if you had died from me and that you had found peace in death."

"No no," she gave a little shake of her head. "I had just found out that I was able to control my full strengths now in my magical abilities."

"You do?" Leonardo smiled brightly for the first time since he came.

"Yeah I do," Aki confirmed with a happy smile. "And it is a wonderful feeling. I can sense Rex too, Leo. I have never been able to do that. Only the Elements of Five were able to do that."

"That's so wonderful Aki," Leonardo said and then gazed at the floor. "But how the shell do we get out from here? The snakes will follow every step you take."

"Yes I know," Aki nodded. "This is also one of the reasons why I haven't left the lair. I wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark sewers"

Leonardo thought back to the memory of the giant snake which Michelangelo and he had encountered and he shivered slightly by the image of Aki being attacked by one of these animals. No, it wouldn't be a good idea to go out. Even though Leonardo had better chances seeing in the dark and was able to protect her from such dangers, he knew that it would be impossible for him to see all the snakes. A black mamba would easily kill her, and she would die from him.

Leonardo gazed at the elevator door. Maybe it was possible to take it to the surface? However the elevator was narrow and it would give Master Splinter an opportunity to make an attack. Aki placed her head on her shoulder and gave him a wry smile.

"I considered the same thing," she told him. "But it will be too risky."

"You're probably right," Leonardo nodded and turned his face towards her. "How long can you hold us in the air?"

"I'm not tired yet, so probably an hour or two still," she answered and raised her eyebrows in wonder. "Why do you ask?"

"Because it all depends on wether Michelangelo find the flute players or not," Leonardo confessed to her and sighed.

Aki nodded slightly. She understood how serious the situation was. It would be too dangerous to leave as long the rat or the snakes were controlled. On the other hand; if Michelangelo succeed in his task to take merely one of the flute players down, they would be able to escape from the lair. Leonardo kept his hand in Aki's. It pleased her as she needed his comfort and his strength. Leonardo wasn't aware of his effect on her and she blushed by her growing emotions for the blue-masked turtle. Leonardo noticed her cheeks turning red and wondered what had been the reason for her to react that way, but she avoided his look and after a while, he shrugged his shoulders and tried to think of something else. Please hurry bro, he thought and gazed down at the snakes. We need you.

_With fast speed he moved silently through the dark tunnels. His mind was clear and serious about the task his older brother had given him. His family and one of his good friends were counting on him. He stopped for a brief moment as he came to a crossway. He frown his forehead and gazed at the two dark tunnels for a few second. He knew that one of the tunnels was leading away from the lair and a quick decision made him choose the other path. Aki had informed them that flute players had to be near the animals which they needed to control. The turtle slipped soundlessly through the tunnel using all of his stealth abilities to rush forward. He was used to stay hidden from the light and though he wasn't the most bright of Master Splinter's students, he knew perfectly when to use the ninja skill he had achieved during his childhood. With cunning speed he ran further into the darkness. As he progressed through the different pathways around the lair, he hoped deep inside of his heart that they hadn't been too late. He was almost near a corner when he sensed a strange presentence. The turtle stopped a few inches from the corner and turned his head to observe. A human male was standing near a wall with his arms lifted as if he was holding something near his mouth. There was no sound coming out of the flute, and he wondered if it was only the animals who would hear the tunes. It would make sense since it had only been their sensei who had heard musical tunes. As the orange-masked turtle studied the man a few minute, he became confident that this human was one of Rex's men. Who else would act like that near their lair? The turtle's hands moved to the front of the brown leather belt which was hanging around his shell. He felt the warm feeling in his heart, as his fingers touched his favourite weapon. The nunchakus had always seemed like a part of him and as he placed the wooded edges between his green fingers, he felt the cold metal touch his scaled skin. He grinned and moved further toward his prey. He moved the nunchakus with easy and in such a way that it would be difficult for the human to detect him. It was time to apply some turtle whacks. He absolutely loved being a ninja. The only sound which roamed through the tunnel was a single surprised scream that came from a man who was taken off guard. _

"Leonardo; look at the cobras, they have stopped spitting at me," Aki burst out.

Leonardo moved his eyes towards the floor which were still covered with snakes. Yes, she was right. There were no longer any cobras near the bridge. As Leonardo observed the snakes below them, he noticed that many things had seemed to change. All the venomous snakes weren't any longer all sampled beneath Aki and they seemed less focused about what was happening above them.

"Maybe Michelangelo have done it?" Aki gave him a questioning gaze as she wasn't sure if she on her own was going to believe that it might was the case.

"I think so, but we have to check it first," Leonardo said and gazed at her without showing any expression in his face. "You have to test it, since it is you, they are after. Take us both down. I'll protect you in case they attack you, but be careful with keeping your eyes too close."

Aki nodded in acknowledgement and flew silently down towards the floor. Her nerves tensed for every inch, they came closer. She wasn't very fond of snakes. They were very sneaky and fast predators and she held a huge respect for the animal specie. As they came closer, Leonardo drew one of his katanas with the right arm, as he still was holding Aki's hand with the other. Leonardo kept his eyes one every movement the snakes made. However they didn't seem very interested in their presentence. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed as swift movement, but it was only from a large snake who began to attack a smaller one. As he saw that, he turned his face towards Aki with a wide smile.

"It seems they have returned to normal," he stated and nodded in the direction where he had seen the snake attack.

"Yeah, it could seem like it," Aki agreed and cast a sidelong glance at Master Splinter who was still hanging silently a few meters from them. "We should move then."

"I couldn't agree more. Place me on that wall Aki, and I open the door. We have to meet up with Michelangelo and find the person who is controlling Master Splinter."

Leonardo let go of her hand and gave her a single wave with his hand to indicate that he was ready. Aki followed his order and placed him near the entrance door. He planted his left hand on the wall and felt the small electronic metal circles connect with it. Then she removed the air which was keeping him flowing in the room, and he suddenly felt heavy as the gravity got hold of his body. He placed his katana in his belt for a brief moment as he opened the entrance door. Then he jumped forward and twirled around as soon as his feet hit the ground. He swung his katana from side to side, slashing through every snake body, which dared to get in his way.

Aki was quickly to follow him as she saw the door get open. In one second she gave a silent thanks to the orange-masked turtle who had managed to interrupt the person who was playing the flute of the snakes. Leonardo waited until they both were out from the lair, and then he immediately pressed the secret turtle code. With a low bump the door got closed and Leonardo signed in relief. They were out of danger.

_It hadn't been a big challenge to fight this minion. As the turtle looked through the man's belongings it became clear to him that he had found the player with the snake flute. The turtle didn't believe in any gods. As raised in a Japanese spirit of his father, he believed the world consisted of different energies. As such he was glad that the faith had been in their favour. Not only should it be easier for Leonardo and Aki to escape from the lair, the turtles also now possessed one of the more powerful flutes. As he placed the flute in his belt, his eyes narrowed as he was thinking about his next move. He had to find the flute which controlled Master Splinter, so they could get their father back. The orange-masked turtle sat down for a few minutes, thinking of where the flute player could have positioned himself. Then he recalled the evening where Master Splinter had talked about of him hearing music. He was in the living room at that time. The turtle decided to take that tunnel first and hoped that he would be right. It took merely a few minutes to get there, and as he discovered the figure of a man standing near the wall, he gazed at him with a big grin on his face. He grabbed his nunchakus and began to move them once again. He was ready to make the strike._

"What… what happened?" Master Splinter moaned and grabbed one of his hands to his head. "Oh, my head hurts!"

"Master Splinter" Leonardo cried out and gazed at Aki with wild eyes. "Get him down Aki quickly!"

Aki wasn't sure if she wanted to do that yet. Even though it seemed like there was life in the old rat's eyes again, she didn't trust her eyes enough. What if it was some kind of trick from Rex's minion to let them off their guard? But as she saw the gaze in Leonardo's brown eyes pleading her for removing the air bonds around his father, it became too much for her, and she slowly removed the strong airwaves beneath Master Splinter's body. When the old rat float almost a half meter above the floor, Leonardo was there instantly to catch him in his muscular arms.

"Master Splinter," he whispered and pulled the rat closer.

"Leonardo," the old rat said in a tired voice.

Leonardo placed his hand on the father's chin, touching gently the soft fur as he gazed into Master Splinter's eyes, which sparkled with life. Leonardo heaved a sign of relief and smiled brightly as he was thrilled to see his father alive and well. Normally Splinter held some distance to his children, as he had to hold their respect for him both as a father but also as a sensei for his students. But in this moment, in this very second of their lives, it didn't matter if they were teacher and student.

"I'm so glad to see that you're okay," Leonardo said with a mild shiver in his voice.

It was hard for him to keep his voice straight as he was happy to see that his father had returned to them. Master Splinter gave him a wide smile to insure his son that he was okay. The old rat turned his head to the side, as he noticed a brief movement in the corner of his eye.

"Aki!"

Both she and Leonardo felt stunned by the tone in his voice. It was so full of regret. Master Splinter closed his eyes tightly as he recalled all this actions the past hour. How could he? What had he done? She hadn't done anything to him and he had attacked her with the intention to kill her. Master Splinter pushed Leonardo's arms away from him and shrieked out in pain as he thought about the things that had run through his mind while being under control of one of the flutes.

"Sensei, what is the matter?" Leonardo asked worried and tried to move closer towards the rat that was pulling backward.

"Please Leonardo, don't…" Master Splinter said and shook his hand in front of him to prevent his son to come closer.

_There was more fight in this one. When he had attacked the man, it had only caused the human to drop the flute. With imminent speed; which was only common to people who had gained a little knowledge of martial art, the minion had rolled on the floor and twirled around to meet his attacking opponent. The orange-masked turtle had reacted quickly, trying to hit the most vulnerable places on the human body. Yet, this fighter was one of the more consistent ones and he blocked or dodged many of his attacks. As his weapon consisted of hard wood, the turtle knew that this man was used to hide and use his pain against his opponents. He did like having a challenge in fights; it only made it more fun to use more of his abilities and skills as a ninja. The man growled and it almost made him laugh and he simply couldn't help himself._

"_Dude you sound like a dog, are you sure you have the right flute?"_

_The comment made the man even angrier and the turtle grinned as he spun to the left to avoid his attack. Then he saw the back of the man, he placed his elbow to connect on one of the side muscles beside the man's spine, making the man moan of striking pain while he flew towards the ground._

"_You're too slow mate," the turtle grinned._

_The man sampled his legs together and quickly rose from the sewer floor. In a flurry of movement that the turtle had a hard time keeping up, he hit with his fist the left side of turtle's head, sending the green mutant towards the ground. As he felt the sharp pain of hard cement connecting with his shell, he saw the man bent down to collect the flute from the floor. Then he felt something hard hitting the back of his head and all went dark._

Master Splinter turned his eyes away. He couldn't manage to face neither the young woman nor his son. He felt so ashamed and embarrassed. Master Splinter stunned as he felt his whiskers shiver and suddenly he began to feel calm inside as he heard sweet tunes coming back to him. They were alluring him, making him relax. Yet, he felt scared as he also was aware that it made him loose his mind. He turned his eyes towards a small stone on the floor. He had to persist the melody. He had to focus to ignore the soft tunes which were clinging in his mind and his heart. Look at the rock; he told himself, focus on the rock, then the music can't take your mind.

"Master Splinter?" Leonardo asked concerned.

He didn't understand his behaviour. First he was avoiding them and now he kept starring at the stone. The blue-masked turtle was about to make a step toward his father, when he felt the fingers from a known human hand stop him. As he turned his face towards Aki, he saw the same concern as he felt.

"Let me try," she asked him.

Leonardo nodded and stepped to the side to let her pass. As she wandered closer to the old rat, Leonardo noticed Master Splinter's hand seizing after the stone. Leonardo gasped as he saw a glint of the rat's eyes. They were cold, empty like a lifeless zombie. Leonardo ran towards the woman he loved, as he suddenly realized that she had become in a very vulnerable situation.

"Aki, move!" he shouted out loud.

Aki twirled around at his warning to face him, as she hadn't seen the change in the rat's behaviour and she shrieked out in deepest pain as she felt the pounding smash of a hard rock hitting her on the side of her head. Leonardo saw her falling to the ground, while his own Sensei lifted his head to face his other opponent. There was one down, one to go. Leonardo felt a big lump in his throat as he gazed at Aki's paled face. She was still alive, but unconscious and as such she wasn't in power to lift the old rat in the air, preventing him to attack. As Leonardo gazed into his Master Splinter's lifeless eyes, he knew that he had to fight his master, his own father!

A/N: That was all for now. Please feel welcome to share any opinions you might have about the chapter or the story :)


	26. Father against son

A/N: Hey all. Thank you to persons who took their time to make a review to my story. I really appreciate it :D There have been some who have commented that I have a few grammar errors in my story. I want to apologies to my readers for it and I surely hope that my keyboard and grammar mistakes don't ruin the story too much. However, there isn't much I can do about it, since English isn't my first language. I already have a person besides me who is correcting the stories for errors, but still some might occur in the chapters. Anyway a lot of things are going to happen in the next chapter, so enjoy…

"No, I don't want to fight you," Leonardo choked as he felt a thick lump in his throat.

Master Splinter didn't seem to have heard him and he attacked instantly. Despair and pain surged through Leonardo's body, so powerful that it almost took his breath away. He was scared. He had never seen his sensei behave like this. Leonardo dodged Splinter's first move, but felt caught as the old rat sprang at him, pinning him against the brick wall. Leonardo threw his fathers hands to each side of his torso and hit him with a clenched fist under the rat's ribs.

As he felt his hands connecting with his sensei's skin, he immediately felt remorse by his action. Master Splinter reached his left hand to grab his right wrist and held on with a firm grip as he spun to his right. Leonardo, trained as he was in the art of Ninjitsu, had seen it coming. His sensei was trying to make a move where he would have kicked him and used his grasp on him to throw him to the floor. Yet; Leonardo was Master Splinter's best student and as such he was aware of the moves that his father might turn against him. Master Splinter made a backward jump to avoid Leonardo's next move as he tried to snap his wrist, since the rat had pulled himself in a vulnerable position.

Leonardo studied his father carefully. It occurred to him that he was in a painful situation He couldn't hurt the old rat. He could use his fighting skills to protect himself, but Leonardo was fully aware of his father's abilities and strength. Never had the blue-masked turtle or any of his brothers for that matter been able to beat their father in a martial fight. This wasn't going to turn out any different. Leonardo cast a sidelong glance at Aki, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. He had to protect her. Yet, his opponent was someone who he knew was stronger than him since they had fought before, and it wasn't a simple training session like in the dojo. As Leonardo stared at the old rat, still shocked by the situation, Master Splinter made a new move and jumped forward with fast steps. Leonardo gasped at the speed his sensei was using to move from side to side and as he mentally prepared himself for the upcoming blow, he wasn't certain that he would be able to prevent his attack.

_____

"Raphael, please come back!" Donatello pleaded his older brother, but the red-masked turtle decided to ignore his comment.

He was too upset. They had finally found Rex's hideout by following the turtle signal on Donatello's shell cell. They had moved with fast steps silently over the roof tops in trying to avoid being discovered by any of Rex's minions on the ground and they had succeeded in the task. After they had been watching and studied how guarded the place was, Donatello then had suggested that they should head back home. Raphael had disagreed with him. Since Leonardo had taken the chance of being a hero to safe Aki behind his back, Raphael had felt anger towards their fearless leader. How dared Leonardo to take such a decision without consulting him? Raphael clenched his teeth as he felt the muscle tensed just by the thought of his brother's behaviour. How dared you Leo? Did you really think that you were the only one was having concerns for her? Raphael felt the anger running through his blood vein and he closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to calm him down. Yet, it seemed impossible. The image of the blue-masked turtle got merely the rage inside of him to grow even further.

Raphael had let Donatello have the flutes in his possession. It seemed easiest this way. When they had arrived to the area near the grey, neutral looking building, Raphael and Donatello had discussed wether if they should walk nearer to the building to make a better surveillance on Rex's head quarter or if they should head back home. After having argued a few minutes with Donatello, Raphael had yelled at him to shut his mouth before turning his back at him. Raphael knew perfectly well that it wasn't the smartest move to go inside Rex's hideout in search of more clues, but since Leonardo had taken the decision that he and Donatello had go out to investigate, then he would do it properly. He already despised enough his older brother for his own perfect behaviour.

"Raphael, I mean it. Please stop, Leonardo asked us…"

"Don't you tell me what Leonardo asked us," Raphael snapped at him with a threatening tone in his voice. "I already had enough of Leo and what he wants us to do."

Donatello followed after his furious brother with deep concerns in his beating heart. The brilliant turtle could feel Raphael's tensions. The anger and pain by Leonardo's decision was radiating from the furious turtle. Yet Donatello was feeling worried, as he knew that Raphael wasn't thinking straight, when he was angry. The purple-masked turtle placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, and it made him stop for a brief second.

"What?" Raphael snarled at him

Donatello cleared his throat as he placed himself in front of Raphael and Rex's hideout, which was just below them. "Raphael, listen to me," he said and gazed seriously at his brother. "It is not a good idea."

"You want to know what the different flutes meant, didn't you?" Raphael taunted, his eyes still sparkling with rage.

Donatello took a deep breath and let it out slow, raising his eyes to meet his brother's. "Yes, I do," Donatello admitted with a low voice.

"And don't you want to know how Rex is guarding this place?" Raphael asked him.

"Yes I do," Donatello answered.

"Then let me go," Raphael said with a dark voice and shoved his brother back with a tap on his shoulder, as he moved to get pass him.

"However; I don't think it is very wise to burst in her hideout like you're planning to do," Donatello commented and quickly twirled around to face his brother.

Raphael was about to make a sarcastic answer, when he noticed the worried look in his younger brother eyes. The short-tempered turtle knew that Donatello didn't dare to cross him when he was upset, but still he tried to prevent him from going. Why? As he stared in his brother's eyes, it became clear to him that Donatello was concerned. Raphael's eyes shot back at him, irritated as Donatello should know that he was able to take care of himself. As if he had read his thoughts, Donatello gave a single shake of his head.

"Raphael, I know that you can handle yourself, but you know how dangerous things are right now. Can you please consider listening to me?"

Raphael took a deep breath, as he wondered what to do. He gazed at his geeky brother and then shrugged his shoulders carelessly. Though he would never admit it to anyone, Donatello was actually the one beside Master Splinter who was capable of making him cool down a little. He didn't know if it was their gently voices or calm behaviour, but they had something in their nature which made him open his ears a little more. Raphael gave a little wry smile at the thought as he waited to hear what Donatello had to say. After all it also helped the brilliant turtle that Raphael wasn't mad at him.

"Leonardo only told us to find Rex's hideout and then return to the lair," Donatello began and gave Raphael a refusing look, as he was about to interrupt him. Raphael signed and let his brother continue.

"With that said I know that you want to find more information to give the others, before we return home. However should we check on the others before rushing into things?"

Raphael was about to shout a sharp answer back at the purple-masked turtle, when he realized that his younger brother maybe was right. Donatello stood stern in position, waiting for his response, then Raphael nodded in agreement. Yeah, he had also considered the possibility that it had gone bad with their rescue of Aki. Raphael felt a shiver running down through his shell and he removed his eyes from Donatello, so his brother wouldn't see the great concern in his own eyes.

"I call Leo, asking wether we should go back home or not," Donatello said, and then he reached for his shell cell.

"No," Raphael declined and grabbed the phone out of his brother's hand. "We will call Michelangelo, and then we decided wether to stay or not."

Donatello couldn't agree that it was the best decision but when he saw the determent gaze from his older brother, he shrugged his shoulders and gave up. There was no use in arguing with the tempered turtle when he was in that mood, and Donatello was aware that the reason for Raphael to call Michelangelo was that even the thought of Leonardo got the anger to rise in him. Raphael narrowed his eyes and signed impatiently as he heard the other line dinged. Damn Mike, take your phone, Raphael thought and shook his head in disbelief of the fact that he had to wait so long. What the shell was he doing since he didn't have time to answer his call?

___­

_The turtle moaned as he heard the sound of a constant ringing tone. Oh, my head, he thought and let out a small cry of pain, as he grabbed his left hand to his head, which was thumbing like if someone was using a small hammer to crack his skull. What had happened? He asked himself and felt a warm flued on the side of his head. He licked on his fingers and his face frowned in disgust. The ugly taste of iron was hard to ignore. He was bleeding from a head wound. It was probably what had caused him to faint in the first place under the fight with the flute player. Where was he by the way? The thought rushed through him and he turned his eyes to the place where the man had been standing. It wasn't surprising that the man had disappeared from sight and the turtle clenched his teeth. He had been so close to get the flute from him. He then seized anxiously down to his belt. Was the other flute still there? When he felt the knowing form of a wooden flute, he gave a sign of relief. _

_Rex's minion had luckily hurried too much to even consider searching the turtle's body. Somehow the orange-masked turtle suspected it had something to do with fear. He had seen it under the water, when some of Rex's men had been swimming around to gather evidence of the turtle's deaths. They haven't dared to try to examine the bodies which were inside the turtle's Battle Shell. _

_So where had the flute player decided to disappear to? The turtle tried to recall all of his memories from his encounter with the flute player; but the constant sound from the phone was getting on his nerves. It was in this second that he realized that it was his shell cell that kept ringing and his heart began to beat faster as he answered the call._

_______

"Finally!" Raphael remarked with his voice full of sarcasm. "Why the shell don't you answer your phone? That is just a stupid apology Mike. Don't make you more stupid than you are. Even Master Splinter knows how his phone sounds when it rings."

Donatello moved his head away from the red-masked turtle. He didn't want to intervene with his brother's conversation. He had learned a long time ago that Raphael was a difficult person to talk with, as he always was so stubborn in his arguments. Donatello recalled scenes from his childhood where he almost had to show Raphael where he had read information regarding their discussed subjects in trying to convince the red-masked turtle that he was telling the truth. It could sometimes irritate the genius turtle that it had to be so hard to convince Raphael that there were other points of view which might were more correct than his own. Donatello sharpened his ears, as he heard Raphael answer his brother.

"What have Leo done? He is such a bonehead. Why did you let him go in there alone?" Raphael asked and then made an annoyed expression in his face. "It is so typical for Leonardo wanting to save the girl and leave the rest of us out. Yes, of cause I'm upset Mikey! I didn't have anything to say in the matter".

A couple of seconds went by as Michelangelo continued talking and Donatello kept his eyes straight to the grey building while he tried to hide his smile as he noticed the change in Raphael's face. If he had been a human, he would have blushed with his face turning red, but since he had a dark green scaled skin, the only sign of him blushing was a weak change in his scaled skin. It was obvious that it was regarding something Michelangelo had said to the short-tempered turtle. Raphael growled irritated while he was listening to their youngest brother.

"You are very lucky that we're a long way from each other Mikey," Raphael taunted gazed sharply at Donatello who was holding back a giggle.

Then Donatello turned his attention to the building beside them, as he saw a person walking out from the main entrance. The person was in the large scale of the body construction of a human being. Donatello would guess that he was over 7 feet tall, his body was slim and mostly reminded him of one of the long French fries, they served at a McDonald restaurant. His face had the same shape as a horse and with his small eyes and lazy walk, he didn't seem very bright. Donatello smiled as he noticed the end of a flute sticking out from the man's back pocket. This could be the man they had been seeking, an easy target. As the man crossed the street to walk in a nearby alley to smoke, Donatello realized that this might be the only chance to take out one of the flute players without being discovered. Donatello had been so obsessed with his surveillance of the slim man that he had lost track of Raphael's conversation and he gazed at his brother with a curious look, when the red-masked turtle hung up the phone.

"What did Mikey said?"

"He said a lot of stupid things," Raphael remarked tartly and raised his eyes to meet his brother. "He advised us to get home though. The lair is full of snakes at the moment."

"Snakes?" Donatello asked and gave a small shake of his head. "The strangest thing about it is that I'm not surprised."

"I can't say that I'm either," Raphael remarked and took a deep breath. "Could it be possible to ever have a normal day Donny?"

"Nah, you would get bored if that was the case," Donatello grinned. "So we should head back then?"

"Yes. A lot of things have happened for them, I will tell you on the way," Raphael said and gave one last look at the grey building. "A damn shame though. If we had been able to get in, we could have gotten some information back home instead to return with nothing more than a location."

"On the contrary," Donatello informed his older brother with a pleased smile. "It will delay us a bit, but take a look down in the nearby alley."

Raphael followed the direction of where Donatello's finger was pointing and as he watched the man, who was standing in his own thoughts while smoking on a cigarette, a wicked glint began to sparkle in Raphael's brown eyes and his smile became wider. The dear lady luck seemed to be in their favour. Both turtles have been concerned by the danger it would be to enter the hideout alone in seeking for more information, but with this stupid human it would be easy and quick to get the information they needed.

"It is almost a shame," Raphael remarked with a grin and gazed at Donatello. "Let's pay him a visit."

_____

"NO!" Leonardo cried and dodged the front attack by bending his knees. "Please Master Splinter, stop!"

The old rat ignored his plea and attacked once more. The knot of his fists nearly connected with Leonardo's face, but he had seen the attack coming and swung his head to the side. He avoided the blow with two inches apart. Leonardo gasped and twirled away to remove himself from his vulnerable position. However Splinter was fast on his feet and was over him in the same second. As he attacked with his hands, Leonardo defended himself by deflecting all his moves with perfect accuracy. They fought fiercely for all of thirty second, both was anticipating the moves they made towards each other.

"Master Splinter, listen to me, you have to fight back the music. You must!" Leonardo asked his sensei again before making a backward jump away from the rat.

Not a muscle moved in the rats' face. There were only his empty eyes which made Leonardo shiver every time he gazed at them. He had tried the last couple of minutes to get in contact with his father's mind which he knew was still in there, but the flute's control seemed to be too powerful. Nothing he said had any effect on the rat, who kept attacking him.

Somehow Leonardo was surprised that he had been able to resist that long, but to be honest he had lost total track of time. The whole fight seemed like it had lasted hours but he suspected that they might only have fought a few minutes. Leonardo felt really helpless for the first time in his life. What should he do? Master Splinter ran towards him and bowed down to make a spin kick. It all happened so fast that it got difficult for Leonardo to react in time and as the rat's furry leg connected with his scaled skin, Leonardo lost his balance and fell unable to regain his footing in time. Leonardo cursed and rolled to the side to avoid Master Splinter's jumping attack. And as the rat landed on the empty ground, Leonardo forced himself to his feet. With a swift move, the blue-masked spun around with his leg, hitting the rat's ankle. When Master Splinter felt to the ground, Leonardo felt like nothing to do than just starring at him. How could he do anything else? It was his father, who was lying on the ground vulnerable for his attack.

"Won't you please come back?" Leonardo could hear his own fear in his shivering voice, and he felt like crying.

Leonardo found himself in an impossible situation. He could never hurt his father for serious, but at the same time he knew that the rat would do anything he could to finish him and Aki off. Leonardo felt even more despair, as his sensei made another move to attack him. As Leonardo deflected his blow, he tried to let his reflexes guiding his movements. He had to hold on long enough for Michelangelo to get hold of the flute player. Yet a little voice inside of him reminded him that Master Splinter had been sane for only some minutes ago. If it was Michelangelo who was the cause of it, then his younger brother could be in danger as well. Leonardo heaved a few fast breaths as he spun to the side. Why did it have to be so hard?

____­

The young tall man threw the cigarette to the ground and used the tip of his shoe to put it out. He was nearly done with his break and he had to be fast otherwise Rex would be all over him. Twelve starred a brief second at the asphalt. He could see the others used cigarette filters placed all over his spot. He knew that it was forbidden for the order to move outside alone, but he and a couple of other guys normally walked out to grap a smoke. In disgust he kicked some of the filters on the ground. As many times before; he wondered, why Rex was so determent for them to stay hidden. Why was it necessary? When she gave the flutes to them and had learned them how they could use their enormous powers, it shouldn't be a problem to begin her master plan.

Twelve frowned his forehead as he gazed down at his flute with irritation. He didn't know why the hell that woman had decided to give him the flute of the rabbit. Somehow he felt that he deserved more than this. However; there was nothing he could do about the ranks, she had given them. Twelve knew had seen what happened to minions who disagreed with the tempered woman and it wasn't something he wanted to try out himself. Twelve sighed deeply, as he had to accept his place in the order for now. Maybe later, when the time was right, it would be possible to remove some of his team mates, but for now he had to be patient and wait. With the decision in mind he began to walk out from the alley, the only sound was a thumbing sound which came every time his feet hit the ground. It was then he heard a noise from one of the garbage cans at the left side of the alley.

"Is someone there?" he asked and walked a bit closer.

No one answered and why should they? It was probably just a stupid rat or another hideous animal and if it wasn't, they were sure going to regret what they had crossed his way when he was in a bad mood. Twelve gasped. There was no time to see what happened to him, but he felt it. Within one second he heard something piercing through the air and he shrieked as he looked down. A sharp weapon had landed merely a few inches from his left foot. Twelve felt a shiver run down his spine and he wandered two steps back while he gazed wildly at the environment around him.

"You better stop. We're not done with you yet," a hoarse voice said from above.

The tall man's eyes darted from side to side in desperate attempt to discover the source of the talking voice, but as it still was night, and thought the light from the streets was giving a small glow at the ground, it was almost impossible for the young man to see anything in the dark alley. He was getting anxious for every second he stayed there, and after a brief moment he decided it was better to get back into the building. Twelve turned around and shrieked briefly as he saw an enormous creature in front of him.

"You don't hear that well, do you?" the voice asked him and then looked at him with a wicked smile on its face.

Twelve shivered and backed away from the big thing in front of him. He nearly stumbled over the weapon and almost lost his balance in his haste to get out of the way. The creature laughed at him. It wasn't loud, but Twelve didn't like the sound of it. The creature was gazing at him with anticipation in its' brown eyes, which were covered with a red mask. As it was bending down to take the weapon, Twelve gasped as he noticed the green scale and the brown shell.

"You're one of the turtles," he stated and felt a big lump in his throat as he saw the big smirk on its' face. "I thought you were dead."

"Consider me a ghost then, coming back to haunt my enemies," the turtle responded with a small laugh and then gazed at him with a grim expression. "I promised my brother to ask you a question though."

Twelve wasn't sure if he wanted to know. "Eh… What?"

"We want some information about you and your wrench of a leader," the turtle said and moved closer with the weapon still in his hands. "So do you want it the easy or the hard way?"

"I'm not going to tell you anything," Twelve commented but his throat was dry and it was hard for him to hide the shivering tone in his voice.

The turtle smiled again as if he clearly could see what Twelve was getting anxious about the situation. The creature had made him go even further into the alley. Twelve cursed himself and wondered if he could call for more help. After all Ten should be near the entrance door as they both were guiding the building this night. The turtle waved the weapon as few inches from his noise.

"You will," he said like if he wasn't counting Twelve's rejections for anything. "Believe me, you will."

Twelve wasn't going to hear any further of this. He began opening his mouth to yell for help from Ten. Yet, the only sound coming out of his mouth was a surprise gasp as he lost his balance instantly as he felt something hard hitting him beneath his knees. The stroke was so accurate that it made him fall to the asphalt immediately. Twelve closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to ignore the thumbing pain from the lower side of his leg. When he opened his eyes again, he moaned with irritation as he suddenly saw one more turtle next to the other. They looking like each other and yet there was a difference in the colour of their scaled skin and the newcomer was also wearing a purple mask.

"Wrong choice," the darker turtle said with a gloomy voice and then he smirked at him. "It seems like he is going for the hard way, Donny."

The other turtle nodded and Twelve swallowed nervously as he didn't like the expression in their faces. What were they planning to do with him?

___

_After he had talked with his brother, the turtle sat quietly on the sewer floor, thinking about his next move. He had asked his brothers to come home as there was no reason for them to investigate Rex's hideout any further. After all he was worried about his oldest brother who had walked alone into the lair which they both knew were filled with snakes. Though the turtle was aware of the fact that his oldest brother might be the one of the pack who was able to take best care of him, he also knew the uncertainty about walking into a situation than none of them could anticipate whatsoever. Rex, a woman with deep magical power and an insane mind, was an enemy like they had never experienced before; and that made her even more dangerous._

_He got on his feet, trying to keep his mind clear of thoughts, which really could be hard for him, as he normally was a turtle who got easily distracted. However, the serious situation and the feeling that his oldest brother was depending on him, made it possible for him to concentrate better. Suddenly he turned his head to one of the tunnels of his left side. It was a way leading to the south side of the lair, almost near the entrance door. The sensing of an unknown person was strong there. The vibrations were pulsing and he felt suddenly like a bat, which was known for its ability to sense its prey by sending sound waves out in the air._

_He rushed without any hesitation toward the tunnel and continued with the same haste through the dark tunnels. He tried to keep as silent as possible to prevent the flute player from hearing him and his knowledge about the sewers was useful in that matter. He knew exactly where to move silently across the way even though he was running with great speed. As he discovered the shadowy figure of a human, he drew his weapons instantly. This time he wasn't going to take it easy on him. The flute player hadn't noticed him, and the turtle made his attack with a big grin on his face._

___

­­

Leonardo dodged a close head attack and spun quickly to the side. Halfway through, he turned his elbow directly towards Master Splinter's chest that suddenly had gotten vulnerable for attack. Leonardo was careful to not put much strength in his attack though. He couldn't hurt Splinter and tried therefore to do as little damage to the old mutant as he possible could. After minutes of fighting against his father, not knowing what the heck to do, he had decided to take this fight as a sparring session with his sensei.

He was fully aware of that he was giving himself illusions. Master Splinter would kill him if he got the chance, no question about that. Leonardo had felt the serious situation more than he wanted to. There would be some nasty blue and purple bruises from this fight. The pain was surging through his body, but Leonardo was trained in ignoring pain through fights. He had tried to find a solution to his problems, only to find the answer that he had to buy some time, defending himself from his sensei, while he had to count on Michelangelo to succeed in his task of finding the flute player, who was controlling the old rat.

As such Leonardo had found his strength and new power in the material art which had been his passion, his life for the last sixteen years. He had calmed his mind, and had fought against his father like if they were training together in the dojo. They had done many times before, where his Master had acted like his attacker. However; it was a huge difference in the fact that in this moment the old rat wouldn't hesitate to hurt him and Leonardo had to be more careful in his actions than he normally would.

In the split second before his elbow hit the old rat, Leonardo gasped, as he saw a change in his Master's eyes. They had sparkled with life! Splinter groaned, as he felt the heavy punch connecting with his chest right between his ribs. Leonardo watched him as he fell to the ground, wondering if it had been true what he had seen. Leonardo studied carefully every movement the rat made. At first he was lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath for a few seconds. It made Leonardo's heart beat faster, as hope began to rise. Within his mind control, the old rat hadn't cared about his body condition. Then the old rat turned his head to the side, giving his oldest son a warm look.

"You need to put more power into your movement, Leonardo," he said with a wry little smile.

"Master Splinter, you're yourself again!" Leonardo cried out in joy and ran immediately to his father to take him into his arms. "Oh shell, I'm so happy!"

Master Splinter used all the strength he could find inside to hug his son back to insure his son that everything was back to normal. When he had felt the musical tones faint out in the distance, he had finally been able to regain control of his body. As Leonardo hugged him, Master Splinter cast his eyes to the right, only to find the shape of a female human body lying on the sewer floor.

"Aki," he gasped and pulled himself away from Leonardo to see how the young woman was doing.

Master Splinter placed his long hand carefully beneath her head to study her further. She was unconscious and had a really ugly red wound over her left ear. Master Splinter swallowed as he recalled himself hitting her with the rock. How awful it was for him in these minutes for him to think about all the things he had done to a friend and even worse, to his own family. Master Splinter gazed at Leonardo, who was giving him an uncertain look.

"I'm sorry, my son," Master Splinter said and felt so shameful about himself.

Leonardo frowned at the expression he saw in his father's face. He had never seen his father so regretful… and sad. The deep sorrow blackened the rat's eyes even more and Leonardo felt sorry for his sensei. After all they both knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but in their nature both Master Splinter and Leonardo shared the same feeling for responsibility for one's actions. And this was a hard one for his Master to accept. Leonardo nodded, as he wanted to say to his father that he was forgiven, and then he turned his gaze towards Aki. "Is she okay Master Splinter?"

"No, she isn't" Master Splinter replied and Leonardo noticed that the old rat's shoulders was shivering with anger and frustration over himself. "We need to get her inside now. She needs medical attention."

"We can't do that right now," Leonardo told him with a low voice. "The lair is full of snakes."

"Well, we need something to clean the wound with, so I can see how serious it is," Master Splinter remarked and sighed deeply in despair.

"I have some cloth you can use to clean the wound if needed," a familiar voice commented as Michelangelo stepped out from a nearby tunnel.

"Mikey, you did it!" Leonardo gazed at his brother with a thankfully smile that warmed Michelangelo's heart.

He always loved to get praise from his oldest brother. It meant much to him that Leonardo felt he was doing something great for the team and for the family. As Leonardo looked at him, Michelangelo felt the strong bond between them as brothers and it was more beautiful experience than ever. The orange-masked turtle walked to Master Splinter and gave his sensei the cloth. He noticed that the rat was avoiding his gaze and gazed wondering at Leonardo who was giving a little shake of his head. It wasn't the right time to ask questions.

"Where did you get the cloth from?" Leonardo asked, as their father began to clean the wound.

"From the flute player," Michelangelo answered shortly and his eyes became dark as if he was thinking of something dreadful.

Leonardo gave an intense gaze at his brother, giving Michelangelo room for continue his story, but Michelangelo either didn't see it or tried to ignore it, because he didn't follow with any more information about his encounter with the flute players. Leonardo gazed wondering at the orange-masked turtle. This was a very unlikely behaviour for his youngest brother, who normally talked all the time. Master Splinter heaved a deep sign, and Leonardo turned his attention away from his brother to look at his sensei and Aki.

"The wound isn't too serious," Master Splinter announced with a big sign of relief written all over his face.

"So she is going to be fine?"

Master Splinter turned his eyes towards his oldest son and nodded silently, while he gave room for his son. As Leonardo sat down next to him, Master Splinter lifted the young woman's shoulders a little to place her over Leonardo lap and into his arm. Leonardo gave his father a smile filled with gratitude, as he finally could take care of the woman he loved. Aki's face was very pale. Leonardo didn't like the fading glow in her skin, but he trusted his father enough on his father's medical wisdom to know that she was going to get well again.

"Press the cloth against the wound to make sure to stop the small bleeding that is still there," Master Splinter told him and gave his son the small cloth piece.

"But what are we going to do with her?" Leonardo asked and looked worried at his father. "I don't dare to move her away from the sewers in her condition and with the snakes inside the lair, then where should we move her?"

Master Splinter seemed to consider what they had to do, but it was Michelangelo, who answered for him. "I have the flute of the rat and the flute of the snake in my possession Leo. I don't know how we can use the flutes, but maybe Donatello can figure it out. He is so smart, so it might be an easy task for him. He and Raphael should be heading back to the lair anyway. I asked them to come home."

"There might still go some time before they arrive," Leonardo commented. "They have a long way to go after we lost the battle shell."

"You lost the…?" Master Splinter began and then trailed off for a few seconds. "But what happened to you?"

"It has been quite some eventful night, Master Splinter," Michelangelo told his sensei and also he sat down on the floor next to them.

Master Splinter nodded and looked thoughtfully down at Aki. Both Leonardo and Michelangelo were wondering what they old rat was thinking, but if they had only seen a glance of the chaotic feelings inside their sensei's heart, they would have been shocked by the deep feelings of sorrow and regret. Master Splinter despised himself for what he had done to his family and he had been too weak to resist the sweet melody from the flutes. He was so shameful for his actions that for the first time in his life, he wished that he didn't exist. Neither of his sons had noticed it yet, but Master Splinter hadn't at any time looked directly into their eyes since he got his sanity back. How would he ever been able to meet his sons respect and love again after what he had done to them?

"Master Splinter, are you okay?" Michelangelo asked with a low voice, almost afraid of the answer he would receive from his sensei.

However, Michelangelo's question made Splinter aware of the environment around him and he mentally pushed his chaotic emotions to the side for a brief moment as he was aware of the fact that his sons must have been through a lot during the night, and it was important for them that he seemed strong and in control.

"I'm fine, thank you," he said with a faint smile. "Uhm, while we wait for your brothers to come back, please tell me what happened to you while I was… While Aki and I were here in the lair."

Michelangelo and Leonardo were glad to for the opportunity; their sensei gave them to share with him what had happened during the night. There had happened so much during the last few hours, where they had been fighting for their lives; and it felt good to get it all out by telling their story to the person who understood them the most. Master Splinter listened carefully to their story and didn't interrupt them at any time. As they told him about what have happened on the bridge and in the sewers, Master Splinter was getting anxious about the next move he and the turtles had to take. After tonight; he didn't want to try anymore fighting against Rex. She was too dangerous for his family. As Master Splinter gazed down at Aki, who was still lying unconscious in Leonardo's arms, he began to consider if it was worth to fight against an enemy who had been able to turn himself against his own family. On the other hand; what if Rex was able to get her hands on the flute again? Master Splinter shivered and felt cold as the fear seized his heart. She knew where the lair was and the old rat was convinced that she would attack them again and again in order to get the flute. We can't let that happen, he promised himself and turned his eyes towards the flute of the rat, which Michelangelo had placed in his leather belt. The flutes had to be destroyed, all of them. But first they had to wait for the two remaining sons to return home.

A/N: Hey. So what did you guys think of the chapter? The next update is going to be there soon, as I'm almost finished with the next chapter. Please feel free to share your opinions with me. It means really much to me :)


	27. Reunited

A/N: Hey everyone. Things are going fast at the moment. I'm really inspired and I keep writing as much as I can. It is really wonderful being able to write again. I missed it so much. Thanks Alda for your review. It is nice to see my readers still following the story. Please enjoy…

Aki groaned as she felt a sharp pain piercing through her head. What the hell happened? She wondered and opened her eyes slowly. She smiled as she instantly saw warmth brown eyes meeting her own. She immediately felt safe, as she noticed being in his strong arms. His comforting relaxing gaze was all she needed to know that she was safe. However, it was hard for her to ignore the jabs of pain she received from her skin above her left ear. Leonardo was trying gently to press the cloth piece against her wound.

"Welcome back," he said in a soft voice.

"Have I been gone for long?" she asked and turned her head slightly to the side, only to see Master Splinter and Michelangelo next to her. "It is lovely to see that you both are here. We missed you."

"It is good to see that I didn't hurt you too much," Master Splinter said with a weak smile and his eyes were full of regret. "Please accept my deepest apologies Aki. I never meant to hurt you."

"Don't worry. I know how the flutes works on…," she was about to say animals, but stopped herself as she wasn't sure how the old rat was going to react on the words.

"On animals?" Splinter guessed and raised one eyebrow while he gazed curiously at her.

"Yeah," Aki confirmed and received a small blush in her cheeks.

"Don't be embarrassed," Master Splinter said in a calm voice. "We are animals who have been mutated into intelligent species, but nonetheless we are animals."

Aki turned her eyes towards Leonardo and studied his scaled skin. Sometimes she forgot that he actually was an animal. He was a mutant turtle. Would she be able to live with a huge animal? The great love in his eyes made her skin shiver with joy and she smiled back at him. It wasn't important. After all according Darwin's theory humans were also animals, descendants from apes.

"I'm glad you're awake though dudette," Michelangelo said with a happy smile on his face. "We need you to get the snakes out from the lair, so we can get you inside."

"_If_ she feels that she can manage it," Leonardo added to his youngest brother and then looked at the young Asian woman. "You don't have to do it. Donatello can play the flute when he gets back."

"The flutes don't need a lot of concentration to play on when you know the right melodies," Aki told him in a serious voice, and then she raised her hand toward the orange-masked turtle. "Please give me the flute Mike."

"Hey, nice to see your all here," a voice called from a nearby tunnel and Aki's smile became even brighter, as she saw Raphael and Donatello coming out.

Leonardo was on his guard, when he saw Raphael turn his face towards him and Aki. The hot-headed turtle's eyes were already sparkling with ferocity as their eyes met, and Leonardo could sense the anger radiating from the red-masked turtle. Why was he suddenly so angry at him? Leonardo couldn't understand it as he hadn't thought he had done anything that should upset the tempered turtle. Furthermore Leonardo didn't like the wicked smile on his brother's face when Raphael walked out from the tunnel with Donatello. Suddenly Leonardo began to wonder what his brother had been doing while they were at Rex's hideout.

"It is good to see that you are safe my sons," Master Splinter said and received a warmth look from Donatello.

"It is nice to see that you are okay Master Splinter," Donatello said and gave his father a quick hug. "We feared that Leonardo and Michelangelo might have been too late to safe your both."

"We came back as soon as we could," Raphael said, still keeping the wicked grin on his face.

"You're lying," Leonardo taunted in a stern voice.

"What does our fearless leader assume? That we walked right into Rex's hideout alone?" Raphael growled with a warning tone in his voice.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Leonardo answered and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"We didn't go inside Leo," Donatello added quickly before Raphael could come with another sarcastic remark. "But we got some useful information about Rex and her hideout from one of her minions."

"That is good Donatello," Master Splinter said and gazed harshly at Leonardo to let him know to keep quite.

Leonardo nodded to his sensei's silent order and yet, he couldn't prevent himself from asking his brothers another question. "Where is the minion now?"

"On his way out of the city," Raphael replied tartly. "Don't you think we made sure that he wouldn't return to warn Rex in the next two days?"

Leonardo refused to answer him and Raphael shrugged his shoulders and removed his gaze from the blue-masked turtle. They were both tired, and they didn't want to upset their father even more by arguing. However it was hard for Raphael to control his temper. It had been a painful stroke to see Aki in his brother's arms. The jealousy of seeing them together seemed to strike his heart with a sharp knife. It wasn't fair that it was Leonardo who was taking care of Aki, when it should be him. Michelangelo cast a brief sidelong glance at Raphael, but when he was certain that his older brother had decided to let the argument fall, he gave Aki the flute.

"When I give you a sign with my foot, you open the door," Aki told him and then looked at them all. "Just stand still while I play and don't move until I stop playing okay?"

Michelangelo and the rest of them nodded. Raphael and Donatello sat down next to the others. Leonardo noticed that Raphael placed a comforting hand on Aki's shoulder, but then he shook his head a little, trying to get an evil suspicion out of his mind. No, he must have been hallucinating things. Michelangelo rose from his spot and placed himself on the big pipe next to the entrance door. Then he turned his face to Aki, nodded in silent sign to let her now that he was ready. Aki began to play. None of them could hear the tones except for Aki, who heard the tones inside of her. She could feel her mind combine with the snakes. She waved a little with her left leg, while her fingers were busy playing the wooden instrument and Michelangelo pressed the turtle code to open the door.

Every of the turtle brothers gasped at the sight in front of them except Leonardo, who had seen the snakes before. There were so many of them! Donatello and Raphael, who normally had no dislike toward these animals, began to feel a slight nausea, as they saw the snakes passing by. Donatello, who might be the one turtle with the greatest knowledge of the snakes, was also feeling a little shiver in his shell as he discovered many deadly and dangerous species among them. How had Master Splinter and Aki been able to survive in the lair for so long? The same thought ran through Raphael's mind, but then he considered that Aki maybe had been able to use her flying skills to avoid the snakes. No other reason made sense.

They watched silently the animals passing by. There were mambas, cobras, water snakes, corn snakes, rattlesnakes and many more. At that point Michelangelo was happy that he was standing on a pipe. The attack from the giant snake was still looming as a bad nightmare in his mind. He was thrilled to see the last snake left the lair. It seemed like they waited a long time, while Aki kept playing the flute, even though they couldn't see the snakes anymore. However they had promised her not to move until she was finished and all of the mutants held great honour to their promises. Almost fifteen minutes went by, before Aki removed the flute from her lips.

"They are gone now to their right places," Aki said and gazed tiredly at her friends. "My last command for them was to return home. Even now when they have got their mind back, they will have an urge to get back to where they belong."

"Good, let's go inside then," Master Splinter suggested and gave the young woman a warmth look. "And we need to get a bandage for your head young lady."

"Aki, hold this please while I carry you," Leonardo asked and Aki placed her hand above his own.

Gently he removed his three fingers from the cloth piece and placed his arms beneath her legs and back to lift her up in the air. She placed her head tiredly on the right side of his torso and rested her head while he carried her inside the lair. The rest of Leonardo's family followed him, glad to be home again.

___

Master Splinters placed the fine lined around her head, after he had cleaned the wound. None of the members of the turtle family had left her side, since Leonardo had placed her on the sofa, so she could relax.

"That should do it," Master Splinter said and signed deeply. "Again I'm so sorry for this."

"I'm fine," Aki said with a wide smile, though her face was still a bit pale.

"You just need to relax for a bit," Master Splinter said and rose from the floor. "Leonardo will carry you into his room in a moment. I just need to speak with my sons for a few minutes if that are fine with you."

"Sure," Aki nodded and rested her head on a pillow. "I'll stay here in the meantime."

"Good."

Master Splinter walked with slow steps towards the kitchen so he could speak privately with his family. The turtles gazed curiously at their sensei, but he ignored them, as he wanted them to follow him. And they did after a few seconds. When they got into the kitchen, the turtles began to wonder what their sensei had in mind. The old rat's face was expressionless and it was impossible for any of them to know what their father wanted to talk about. Master Splinter's mind was mainly concentrated on two subjects which he wanted to discuss with his family. It concerned the further destiny of the flutes and the upcoming battle with Rex. The old rat stopped and then pointed at the kitchen chairs.

"Please sit down my sons. I know it is late, but I need to say something to you all."

His sons did as commanded and placed themselves on the kitchen chairs, waiting for their father to continue. Master Splinter seized one chair as well and then gazed seriously at his family. "I can never apologies enough for what I have done," Master Splinter said, and his sons felt deeply with their father, as they noticed he was fighting against tears. "I had never thought I would not be able to resisting such an attack on my mind."

"No one did," Donatello reminded his sensei. "None of us had even considered the possibility that the flute of the rat would be able to control you. The mutant gen in our body has after all not made us more like humans genetically speaking. We have gotten more intelligence and have grown more in size, but from a biologically point of view, we are still animals."

"I was trying to kill my own family," Master Splinter intervened in a sharp voice. "Animal or not. I should have known better."

"So should we," Raphael said in a hoarse voice and then he coughed a little to clear his voice. "Sensei, both me and Michelangelo had noticed that you sometimes were gone in your own thoughts. We heard you talking about music. We should have paid more attention to it."

Master Splinter and his sons bowed their heads and gazed down at everything they could hold their eyes on. They were all ashamed. They all knew why none of them had paid enough attention to what had happened with the old rat. Their minds had mainly concentrated on the upcoming fight with Rex and regarding two of the turtles; their thoughts had also wandered towards the young Asian woman, who suddenly had arrived into their lives. Raphael and Leonardo's eyes met, as they both realised that they were looking into the living room, where Aki was lying. For a brief second Raphael wondered if his older brother had discovered the truth, but his face didn't reveal any emotions and Raphael turned his gaze away from him.

"My sons," Master Splinter said and looked at them with a direct look full of regret. "I will never forgive myself for what have happened. It is something that I have to live with for the rest of my life."

"Don't worry sensei, it is all forgiven," Michelangelo said but lowered his shoulders, when he received a sharp look from his father.

"It can't be forgiven," Master Splinter said determent. "I tried to kill Leonardo, my own family. Nothing can ever forgive my actions!"

"It is okay, Master Splinter," Leonardo said in a calm voice as he rose from his chair and gently placed both his hands on his father's shoulders.

Master Splinter seized his son's arms, as Leonardo bowed near to hug him tightly from behind. The rest of his sons soon followed and Master Splinter sniffed as he felt the great love from his family. It was a comforting loving bond and the warmth from his sons was overbearing. Master Splinter removed a traitorous single tear, which had begun to run down his cheek and then he smiled for the first time, since they got back to the lair.

"I love you so much my sons," he choked and was overwhelmed with the different emotions he had felt during the evening. "I never planned to hurt anyone."

"And you didn't Master Splinter," a soft voice said behind them.

The mutant family let go of each other to take a look at Aki, who was smiling back at them. Her face was still pale, but her health seemed to be better, as a slight rose colour had gotten into her cheeks. Leonardo was looking at her no longer trying to hide his deep feelings for her. After all everyone in the room knew how he felt for her. Aki returned his gaze and for a brief moment everything was quiet. The only contact was their eyes, starring into each other's souls.

"Aki, you shouldn't have gotten up," Raphael remarked and broke the silence.

"I'm okay Raph," she insured him.

Raphael wanted to disagree but the firm glance in her eyes convinced him that it wouldn't help anything if he rejected. The tempered turtle then turned his eyes towards their fearless leader and he immediately felt disgust. Why didn't Leonardo say anything to her? If he really loved her so much, he should have backed Raphael up. Instead he was looking at her like a pleading dog begging for food. Donatello walked toward Aki. Then he grabbed her hand as he followed her to one of the chairs.

"The flutes must be destroyed," Master Splinter said finally and gave Aki a look filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry Aki, but I don't dare to cross path with Rex again unless they are destroyed."

"Make sense," Raphael nodded, agreeing with his sensei. "After all if we destroy them, then Rex can't use it for her evil purpose."

"Would make sense indeed," Aki agreed but then gave them a severe look. "That is if it was possible to destroy them."

"What do you mean?" Michelangelo said and pulled out the two flutes he still had in his possession. "They are made of wood."

"The flutes are divine," Aki told them with a serious tone in her voice. "They can't be burned, broken, cut to pieces or what you else can think of methods to destroy them."

"Who made these?" Donatello wondered and placed his flutes on the kitchen table, where Michelangelo had placed his.

They had collected six of them. It was pretty amazing that they actually had been able to collect half of the flutes. Some of them were really dangerous as well. It was the flute of the dog, the snake, the rat, the monkey, the horse, and the rabbit. Rex had still the flute of the dragon, the tiger, the ox, the pig, the sheep and the rooster in her possession, but as they gazed down on the small musical instruments, they got pretty amazed that they had been able to take so many flutes away from their enemy and her men. Aki seized one of the flutes and then rose from her chair.

"The order didn't have any information regarding the creation of the flute. We only have

the legend of how they where found. It is a gift made for the purpose of good and therefore it can't be destroyed. Take a look."

She had taken a meat knife from the second highest kitchen drawer and she placed the flute back at the table, holding the flute in her left hand, as she raised her right hand to make a deep cut on the wooden instrument. After she had hit with the knife, they all gasped in wonder, as there weren't a simple scratch to see.

"They are indestructible," Aki concluded knowingly and then placed the knife back in the drawer.

"So what are you planning to do with them?" Master Splinter asked and for the first time, Aki sensed that the old rat seemed a bit anxious.

"I was planning to let you keep them," she replied and crossed her arms as she briefly cast a sidelong glance at the wooden instruments. "It is safer this way. Then no humans will ever know that they have existed."

The old rat nodded with all signs of relief showed on his face. Then his face turned to stone, as he came to the other subject, he had had on his mind.

"We have to consider if we should fight against Rex again or not. Though we have been able to gather half of the flutes, she is still very strong and powerful."

"Yes, but we can take her," Leonardo said and received a sharp gaze from his sensei.

"How do you plan to do that Leonardo?" Master Splinter asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, Donatello have made these belts which make it possible for us to avoid her wind blows," Leonardo pointed out and Donatello nodded in confirmation of his words.

"I don't think it will be enough," Master Splinter remarked honestly. "Your fighting skills have improved during the years my sons. In a fair fight you would all be able to take her down. But she has other magical abilities to consider. She can remove your weapons by calling them and you told yourself Leonardo that she was able to cast fireballs at you."

"I might have a solution to the problem," Aki said and the mutant faces all turned to her, eagerly to listen what she had to say. She gazed shyly at them. "Normally I wouldn't have been able to use my powers as I have done. I'm two years younger than supposed to as I have received the full extend of my powers. It was more common in the order that we would receive our powers if our previous master had died and only when we were above eighteen years of age."

"And you're sixteen," Donatello commented and she gave a single nod.

"Correct. I don't know the exact reason why I have brought out the powers sooner than normal. Maybe it was…" she said and blushed as she starred at Leonardo, who shyly removed his gaze from her. "Maybe it was something else which made it come out. However, I understand my powers now and I know how I can defeat Rex."

"What?" Michelangelo burst out and looked surprised at her.

"What is your intension Aki?" Master Splinter asked with a curious glint in his eyes.

For the first time, since they got to know her, Aki got a wicked smile on her face, while her emerald eyes were shining brightly over her new plan. When she was done with her telling, the mutants smiled with her, since they actually now saw light at the end of a dark tunnel. With Aki's plan it would indeed be possible to defeat Rex and give her the magic potion to remove her magical powers.

"I just don't like that we are going to be bait though," Michelangelo commented dryly and felt a cold shiver.

"Do worry Mikey, the wicked crone is going after you," Raphael said with a sarcastic smile and laughed at the fear in the eyes of his younger brother. However; he couldn't help but feel an itch in the back of his own neck.

"It isn't funny Raph," Michelangelo said in a gloomy voice. "Rex is a real pain."

"She sure is," Leonardo nodded

"I better get to work then," Donatello stretched his arms and yawned deeply.

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Michelangelo asked with a wry smile. "We need you to do this properly bro and I don't think it would be too good if you fall asleep while working on the project."

"I think we should return to bed and wait with further preparations for the upcoming battle," Master Splinter said finally and suddenly got an exhausted expression on his face. "Most of you will agree with me that it had been a very, very long night. And we need all the rest we can get before we begin our fight. We will make our move the next night at midnight, when most humans are asleep."

The others nodded in acknowledgement. They were all tired after the night's event and they could all feel the pain of there bruises surging through their bodies. The old rat rose silently from his chair and then took at last gaze on the flutes before turning his face towards Donatello with a stern look.

"Please keep them in a secure place. I never want to see them out again."

"Of cause Sensei," Donatello responded and bowed with his head to show respect for his master's decision

Aki watched as the old rat walked out from the kitchen. It suited her fine that the flutes were kept in the turtles' possession. She knew that they weren't going to use them for any bad purposes. Aki gazed thoughtfully at the flutes. It occurred to her what she and Rex were the only ones left with magical powers. When she would use the magic potion on Rex, she would be the only one left with powers. It would be only her descendants who would receive powers of the air. Then suddenly a thought just came to her. If she stayed with Leonardo, would she ever have children? Aki threw the thought away. It wasn't important for her anyway at the moment. After all she was only sixteen years old and far from old enough to think about becoming a mother. Furthermore; it could be a good thing if the magical powers died with her. History showed quite clearly that humans weren't good to manage well with magical skills. Aki turned her attention back to the wooden instruments. She knew from their old legends that the farmers had been chosen by the flutes when they touched them. Would the flutes choose new carriers for their elements?

"Donatello," Aki called and the brilliant turtle turned his eyes to her. "None of you must touch the flutes, when they all are collected. I don't know if it is true, but I'm afraid the flutes might choose new carrier for the remaining powers when they are sampled again, if they are touched by any hands."

"We won't," Donatello promised.

"It would be cool though," Michelangelo said with a wide smirk on his face, while he waved wildly with his arms to the sides. "Can you imagine it? The green turtles with superpowers! Wohoo!"

"We _won't_" Raphael growled in a low threatening voice, and Michelangelo lowered his shoulders as he gazed at the red-masked turtle with innocent eyes.

"Leonardo, can I speak with you a minute?" Aki asked and gazed directly at the blue-masked turtle.

Leonardo nodded slightly. He had a feeling that she wanted to talk with him about what had happened between them earlier that evening and honestly he wanted it as well. Though he was felt very tired and his body was hurting like hell, he wanted to speak with her about their kiss.

"Of course," he responded and gazed at the others. "It feels wrong to say, when it is nearly morning, but goodnight all."

"Sleep well Leo," Michelangelo said and yawned while he stretched his arms to both sides. "Think I will be heading off to bed as well."

Raphael's eyes followed his brother and Aki, as they left the kitchen. An itching feeling was thumbing inside of him and he didn't like to see them leave together. Unfortunately he knew that Aki wanted a private talk with Leonardo otherwise he would have joined them in their conversation. Raphael took a deep breath and his eyes narrowed as he noticed that both Donatello and Michelangelo were starring at him.

"What?" he asked tartly.

"Nothing, nothing," Donatello answered in a low voice, as he began to collect all the flutes. "I better put them in a special vault before going to bed. Then I can look at my project after I wake up."

"A wise decision my brother," Michelangelo said and added quickly. "I think I better help you with that.

Normally Donatello didn't need much help, but in this case he didn't disagree with Michelangelo as he had a feeling that his youngest brother was trying to avoid being in the same room as Raphael, who was almost radiating with anger. Donatello held back a sigh. He didn't want to interfere in situations like this. When it came to Leonardo and Raphael, he had given up trying to make things better between them. They were always competitors and it seemed also to be the case with Aki. Donatello kept his eyes on the flutes, as he passed his elder brother. Raphael's eyes darted at him, but Donatello knew from bad experience that it would only get worse if he spoke to Raphael. Michelangelo followed him swiftly and when they got at a safe distance from the kitchen, he whispered into Donatello's ear: "It is amazing how a female can make males crazy."

"Think it would be the case anyway," Donatello remarked with irony. "There are too many times where Raphael and Leonardo aren't exactly on friendly terms."

"True," Michelangelo nodded but then smiled brightly as he gave his brother a quick hug. "Then it is good that we are there to lighten the mood for them."

Donatello laughed as he imagined himself and Michelangelo acting like clowns to cheer up their brothers. Michelangelo followed his brilliant brother to his workshop but said goodbye to him at the entrance. The humorous turtle was tired, and Donatello was pleased to see him leave. It was not that he didn't like to have his brother's good mood around him, but it was easier for him to get things done quickly if he was working in peace.

___­

Aki and Leonardo walked into his room. Both have been quiet on the way, having their own things on their mind as they prepared for what they wanted to say to each other. Leonardo gazed a last time out in the main room, only to see Raphael walking into his bedroom. The lair was quiet, as its habitants were going to have some well-deserved rest before the last battle against Rex.

"I was glad that we had some time to talk," she said after a brief second of silence and gave him a weak smile. "I was afraid that you would refuse."

"I know we have to talk," Leonardo remarked. "But I wasn't sure you wanted to do it tonight since you got that wound on your head."

Aki raised instantly her head to the bandages which had been rolled around her head. However Master Splinter had done a great job and the only indication of her wound was a small itching pain over her left ears. She gazed at the blue-masked turtle with a calming look in her eyes.

"I almost can't feel my wound, so I'm good," she told him and gave him a wry smile.

Leonardo kept starring at her. She was beautiful. He still lost his breath by the sight of her. Though she was still wearing the white bandages around her head, her emerald eyes sparkled with life and the black hair was glowing and he had to fight back a desire to touch it. Aki noticed the change in his expression, but he was quick to hide it away from her.

"Good," Aki commented and then smile a little. "Then let's talk."

Silence. Neither of them knew how to begin the conversation. Aki moved further towards him, but he backed away from her. He could smell a sweet scent of flowers around her. Leonardo tried to keep his breath steady and tried to control his emotions. She was so close that he could almost touch her if he reached for her and he remained at safe distance from her. He backed down a few steps further. He knew in his heart that it was only a matter of time before he wouldn't be able resist her anymore, and he wouldn't allow himself to loose control again. Aki noticed the glimpse of soul pain surging through him, and she stopped going towards him. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was in so much pain because of his feelings for her. And it was insane, since he didn't need to feel that way!

"Leonardo, you don't have to move away from me," she said gently.

He stunned and gave a little shake of his head. "Aki, I need to have some space between us. I really want to talk with you about what happened earlier this night, but not with you so close to me."

"Why not?" she teased and moved even further.

"Because…," he began and then gazed at her with a wild look in her eyes. "Oh shell Aki. You know how I feel about you!"

"Yes, I do," she nodded in acknowledgement.

Leonardo gasped, as they were now only inches apart. Leonardo began to back off again, trying so hard to resist his emotions that kept fighting against him. She smiled at him when his shell hit the brick wall. Leonardo grabbed her upper arms and gazed frustrated at her.

"You're not making this easy for me Aki. I really try to keep a distance," he choked and moved her to the side to pass by her.

"No, you don't go," Aki refused and quickly seized his hands to place him back at his previous spot. "You stay here and talk with me!"

"Can't you see that it is insanely hard for me to stay so close to you and just talk with you, when what I really want is…" Leonardo cried out and then trailed off. No, he couldn't say it.

"What do you want Leonardo?" she asked and gazed at him with an honest curious look. "Be honest with me."

"I want you," he finally admitted and let go off her. "Are you happy? I want you Aki so much that it would scare you to know the truth. I feel the very essence of your soul burning inside of me, consuming me. I want to have the opportunity to caress you, touching you, feel your beating heart against mine!"

"Leonardo…"

"No, you wanted to hear the truth. Now you get it. I love you so much that it hurts inside my heart to even be near you, because I know I can't have you! I know that we can't be together. I know that I'm fooling myself even to consider the hope of us being a couple. But I do and the kiss we shared was only confirming me in that hope. So please Aki, if you're toying with me, then please stop," Leonardo choked and sniffed as he gazed at her with sorrow. "Because… Because I'm not strong enough."

"You are killing yourself for no reason, Leonardo. Please look at me," Aki asked and placed her finger under his chin to make him look at her. "Do I even have anything to say in the matter?"

Leonardo was stunned by her question. He had imagined all kinds of answers, but it surprised him to hear her response. Her emerald eyes were fixed firmly at him as she waited for his answer, and he understood that she meant it seriously. As he thought more about it, had he even given her the choice to make her own decision? No, because he had already assumed that he had known the answer. A mutant turtle and a human seemed impossible even in his own mind.

"You didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt," she pointed out. "I didn't know why you suddenly were avoiding me until Donatello told me the truth."

"I couldn't tell you how I felt," Leonardo managed to say as he felt it quite hard to speak. "I have never been in love before Aki. I didn't know it could be so strong."

"Neither did me," she added with a quick smile.

Leonardo stunned completely. Had she really said what he thought she was saying? Was she in love with him? Aki noticed a sudden change in his scaled skin as he blushed by her words. Her heart was beating fast like if it was trying to get out from her body, but she was anxious to hear his response. During the events of the night she had decided that nothing else mattered than to be with Leonardo and she wanted to tell him that before they would fight against Rex. Earlier in the evening a voice inside of her had told her that she was doing something forbidden, when she had kissed him, but now she knew she wasn't. It couldn't be forbidden to love.

"No one can love a mutant," Leonardo sniffed.

"I see a mutant with a great heart," Aki said and placed her hand on his left cheek as she caressed it gently. "I see a person who is more kind and devoted to his family than anyone I have known in my life."

"It is insane Aki," Leonardo intervened and seized her hand, caressing it lightly with his thumb, as he was looking at her with a warmth intense glint in his brown eyes. "It is impossible. You can't love me."

"But I do," she said sincerely.

It felt good to tell Leonardo about her feelings for him. As Leonardo let out of small sigh of relief, she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't bear to see the sorrow in his eyes any longer, when she knew that the pain, which he was feeling, was because of his love for her. Yet, the situation was already out of their hands again. They were no longer in control of their feelings for each other. Aki rose to meet him, and her other hand went to his shoulder as their lips touched. Leonardo's mind was blown away by the feeling of her soft lips and he quickly closed the little gasp between them. The dearest treasure in his life was near him and he couldn't resist her. His strong arm was circling around her waist, while the other was gently touching her black hair. He was very careful. He didn't want to cause any more pain in her head than she already had from the wound. He was looking at her with a burning passionate glow in his eyes and then his tongue slipped into her mouth.

Aki melted into him while she let him hold her as they kissed deeply. With hardly any effort, Leonardo pulled her even closer to his chest. He held her with both arms now, still locked in the passionate kiss. Aki felt warm inside as his tongue slowly and methodically circled her own. She rested her palm of her hands on his shoulders as he closed the kiss and pulled away slightly. She felt quite light-headed as she looked deeply into his eyes. Leonardo was searching, as he slipped his fingers underneath her shirt. Aki felt his hands on her skin, his small kisses on her neck and she breathed deeply, feeling the drugging effects taking control of her body.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" she whispered as she planted small kisses on his scaled neck.

Leonardo pulled away from her from a brief moment, studying every feature in her face. She was so beautiful. Leonardo smiled at her; every inch of his body was shivering from the happiness he felt inside. As she returned his love, he no longer consider if it was right or wrong. However he remembered her past words to him, and after he kissed her lips lightly, his passionate eyes rose to meet hers.

"Are you sure Aki?" he asked.

"Never been more certain in my life," she replied and leaned forward to kiss him again.

Leonardo smiled with content and his arms lifted her up. His heart was still beating like a million drums. However this time it wasn't because he was anxious or worried. He was thrilled with joy. He couldn't believe his luck. Aki smiled to him, caressing his torso with soft touches with her hand, and their lips met again. They seemed like two parts of a soul, finally reunited in spirit. And as Leonardo placed her on his bed, he was certain of one thing. He was never going to let her go again.

A/N: So what did you guys think of the chapter? Now the final battle is coming nearer and Aki and Leonardo finally found each other without any feelings of regret. Please feel welcome to add a review with your thoughts, they are much appreciated.


	28. The painful truth

_He could smell her. The sweet scent of jasmine was twirling his senses and made him all dizzy. She smiled at him. Her emerald eyes were glowing brightly, shining with joy and her long black hair surrounded her beautiful face. He touched inches of her hair between his rough fingers. It felt so soft. As he gazed upon her with eyes, warmth and burning with desire, she began to move her body closer to him, inviting him to go further in his search. He gave her a wry smile, before he pulled her closer in the intention of kissing her soft lips…_

Raphael suddenly woke up. His body was trembling and dripping with sweat. His blood veins were thumbing wildly inside of him, and he raised his hand to the left side of his torso. He could feel his heart beating like crazy. It had only been a dream and yet it had felt so real. Raphael moved his arm beneath his pillow, resting his head for a bit. She had been so beautiful, so near that it was almost like he had been kissing her in person. Even his own lips were burning though he was aware that it was only a dream.

Raphael turned around, turning his attention to the small clock on the wall above his bedroom door. He had slept for a long time, longer than he normally did anyway. It was 3 pm, which meant he had slept for more than nine hours.

Raphael moved his legs under the blanket, trying to wake up. His body was still tensed from the night earlier. His muscles were hurting and Raphael began to massage the muscles beneath the backside of the lower end of his legs. He knew if he didn't do that, then there was a chance of his body could go into convulsions. It was an experience the red-masked turtle tried to prevent as much as he could. As he came near his foot, he felt something different. It felt weird. As his hand followed, he sensed shape of a long slim scaled body. It was a snake! With a quick reaction, which occurred in almost a half second, he pulled the thing out from the blanket with a small gasp of surprise.

"Mikey! He lamented with disgust.

The snake wasn't alive, but was a small toy. The snake was made of green cotton cloth and the mouth was smiling at him, mocking him for feeling worried for a second. Raphael narrowed his eyes in irritation of his youngest brother's latest prank. They couldn't even be in battle the previous night, before Michelangelo was goofing around again. Raphael clenched his fist tightly around the snake, so the head suddenly became twice as large and then the tempered turtle pulled the blanket away to get up from his bed. He didn't care if Michelangelo was sleeping or not. This meant war!

Raphael seized his weapons beneath his pillow and placed them back in his belt. With a grim look on his face, he turned his eyes to the entrance of his room and moved with determent steps towards the opening. He was tired and irritated with his younger brother and his silly jokes. His head was thumbing and Raphael suddenly suspected that a big headache was going to appear soon. Stupid Mikey! Raphael walked with clear intentions to make Michelangelo regret that he pulled pranks on him so often.

However; as soon as he passed through the entrance, Raphael suddenly slowed down his movements. He turned his eyes to both sides of his room and then he moved to the edge of the upper level of the lair instead of walking towards Michelangelo's room. The tempered turtle turned his gaze for a second upon the small lake in the middle of their home. It all seemed quite as his whole family was sleeping after the events last night. Raphael turned the small snake's head in his hand. It was still mocking him, laughing at his silly reactions.

Yet, the red-masked turtle felt his fingers loosening his grip around the furred toy, and then it felt through the air, landing on the ground. Raphael closed his eyes for a brief moment and quietly he tried to calm his anger. At some point he realised that it wouldn't help trying to chase down Michelangelo. Not now at least. Raphael rested his head at the stone pillar next to him as he looked down at his beloved home.

They could all use the rest before the battle. It would be insane and selfish to wake up his youngest brother. Though he deserved it, Raphael thought with a grin on his face. Normally the red-masked turtle wouldn't care less if he got back on Michelangelo for his joke with the snake. After all there had been a couple of times where Raphael had tried to send of his brother to Africa away in a box. However the upcoming final battle with Rex was a big dark cloud and even Raphael was unable to ignore that they all needed to recover their strength if they should defeat her.

Suddenly low tones of whispers broke the silence in the lair. Raphael turned his attention to the place where the sounds were coming from; Leonardo's room. Was Aki awake? Raphael wondered and rose from the floor. A sudden urge to speak with her alone grew stronger as he thought about his dream. Normally it was hard for him to talk with her without having his brothers around, but now when all were sleeping; it would be a unique opportunity to talk with her.

Raphael had always disliked seeing the sorrow in Leonardo's eyes, when he was looking at Aki. His older brother had in Raphael's eyes been a coward and a fool. There was no doubt in Raphael's mind that Leonardo was in love with Aki as well as he was. However, Raphael felt disgust by his brother's soul pain.

All was fair in love and war and Raphael had no intention in hiding his emotions from the young Asian woman. He wasn't a 100% sure if she was feeling the same for him, but he had felt an emotional connection with her, when they had fought each other in the dojo. Something he knew that she couldn't deny. However, Raphael was careful about his actions. He had no intentions of scaring her either. His great desire for her would remain hidden until she was ready for it. Yet in his mind, Raphael knew that it was a chance he had to take. None of them would find love ever, if they didn't try to reach out for it.

Master Splinter had warned them many times about falling in love with humans as most humans wouldn't accept their existence or their lives in the sewers. Yet, Raphael knew that it wasn't impossible for humans to like them. April had accepted them and Casey too. Then it was possible for humans to see behind their appearance and if so, then there was a slight chance to find love as well. Raphael turned himself towards Leonardo's room with silent steps. In case that he had heard wrong, he didn't want to take the chance of waking her up either.

Raphael heard the whispers became louder and with his sensible ears it was easy for him to detect that Aki wasn't alone. She was talking with somebody. Raphael stopped, and his heart began to beat faster as he suddenly anxious if he really wanted to see who was speaking with Aki at the time, where everyone should be asleep. His blood was pumping faster through his veins as he finally found the courage to look inside Leonardo's room.

Then his heart stopped. Every thought, every move, every inch of the red-masked turtle froze as he gazed upon the sight in front of him. A voice inside of him told him that it was a bad dream. That he was still in his bed sleeping and this was only an imitation of his worst fears. And yet he couldn't ignore what his own eyes were showing him. A scaled light green coloured body which was surrounding a female figure.

Raphael felt an urge to throw up, seeing his oldest brother touching Aki in a way that Raphael had only dreamed of this night. They were whispering to each other, sweet words of love. This was the sounds he had been hearing. Raphael swallowed hard and moved instantly as Leonardo lifted his eyes towards the entrance. Leonardo gazed at the opening for a few seconds.

"What is the matter Leo?" Aki asked, as she noticed his frowned forehead.

"Just a second Aki," Leonardo said lowly and kissed her softly on her nose, before rising from the bed. "I think I saw something move."

An instinct had told him that somebody had been there, looking at them. Leonardo had learned a long time ago to let his instincts guide his actions. Master Splinter had trained them in using them to be able to detect nearby presence. When Leonardo walked out of his room, he wasn't surprised that he couldn't see anything. All the members of his family were all trained in the art of Ninjitsu and therefore mastered the art of hiding quickly in the shadow.

Suddenly a noise came from the head entrance and Leonardo turned his eyes to the front door where he noticed a dark shadow move away before the door slammed behind it. Normally Leonardo wouldn't have a clue which of his brothers it was. However this time the light had been in his favour. It had lightened one of the weapons which the turtles were carrying most of the times in their brown leather belts. A sai confirmed that the intruder had been no other than the most tempered turtle in the bunch.

"Oh shell," Leonardo mumbled and then heaved a deep sigh in frustration. This was going to be hard to explain.

___

Raphael ran as hard and as fast as he could with no destination in mind. He felt like if he could go to the end of the earth and back again without exterminating this fury that was raging inside of him. How could this be possible? How could they be together, when Leonardo hadn't had the courage to show Aki his feelings? Bitterness ran trough his mind, since the answer was obvious even to him. Leonardo had shared his feelings with her. Angry tears streamed down Raphael's face as he ran blindly through the darkness. He had roamed these sewers his entire life. He would be aware of his surrounding no matter where he ended up. He would always be able to find his way back to the lair. But when the tunnels ran out, he still kept running on towards the rooftops where he could stay hidden from human eyes. He was running; running from his past, from memories he didn't want to have. There had been so many times, where Raphael had wished he could be different. There had been so many times that he had wished that he could be more like Leonardo. The perfect son, the perfect leader, the perfect pain in his eyes! Leonardo had always been a constant reminder to Raphael of how _imperfect_ he was. This incident showed the tempered turtle that Leonardo wasn't perfect, but somehow, he had always thought he was.

Where Raphael had decided to give in for his feelings for Aki without many regards or concerns about the consequences of his actions, he had been certain that Leonardo would have been able to resist. Raphael clenched his teeth in pure rage as he recalled the memory of his brother being in the same bed as the woman he loved. How dared Leonardo forget who he was? He was supposed to be their idol, to be the one who was doing all the right things. He was supposed to be the one to show his brothers perfection. In the depth of his heart, Raphael hated Leonardo, loved him, respected him, and ridiculed him... all at the same time.

Raphael stopped, staring at the sky which was covered with dark grey clouds. It wouldn't surprise him if it would start raining soon. Raphael kicked an empty can in a violent movement and gazed with fury as the small can was thrown over the roof top. Then the tempered turtle felt down on his knees. He wanted to scream at the sky and yell his pain out to the world. He felt betrayed by his brother and rejected by Aki, who clearly was in love with Leonardo. Raphael sobbed and collapsed on the ground, letting the tears flow freely for the first time in years. He was alone; truly alone.

___

"Hey Dudette, are you awake?" Michelangelo asked and smiled brightly, as he showed his face at the entrance to Leonardo's room.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Aki responded as she placed the magical potion in a belt around her waist.

Michelangelo watched her, as she pulled down her black shirt over her belt, hiding completely the potion from vision. It was almost the same outfit she had been wearing the night they met. The black clothes would prevent her from being spotted in the dark hours. Aki gazed upon the small alarm clock on the night stand next to Leonardo's bed. It was almost 6 pm. He had been gone for a long time now. Aki wondered what had happened, since Leonardo had felt that he had to leave the bedroom. However his gentle kiss on her lips had insured her that she didn't have to worry about if it was their new relationship that was bothering him. Aki gave a small shake of her head before she turned to Michelangelo. She just had to trust Leonardo in this case.

"I have been awake for quite some time to be honest," she admitted and then added with a little smile. "So it had been quite awful for me to wait for you to finish the dinner. It has smelled good for almost an hour now."

"Hehe, I'll think you will like it," Michelangelo said and moved to let her pass through.

"It smells like pizza," Aki said as she walked down the stairs.

"Not just any pizza. It is one of my specialities. Pizza a la Michelangelo. It is fantastico," Michelangelo said with an Italian accent and made wild movements like an Italian cook who was praising his food.

Aki laughed at his impersonations. "Then I can't wait to try it. Are the others awake to?"

"I have woken Master Splinter, though I'm not sure that he will be joining us. He seemed pretty tired," Michelangelo said with a saddened tone in his voice.

"Well, he has been through a rough time last night."

"Indeed," Michelangelo agreed with a single nod of his head. "However I know our Sensei well enough to realize that if I don't wake him for dinner, I'm going to regret it."

Aki smiled at Michelangelo who was showing that he was merely joking. The orange-masked turtle was so easy to be around. Though he could be quite enthusiastic sometimes, he always kept a good mood, making it all look more positive than it maybe was. As they walked into the kitchen, Aki noticed Donatello take some dinner plates out from the upper shelf.

"Hey Aki," Donatello greeted and she gave a small wave back, then the genius turtle turned his attention to Michelangelo. "Where are Raph and Leo?"

"I got no clue," Michelangelo admitted and shrugged his shoulders. "There is absolutely no trace of them, except from the snake I left in Raph's bed."

"Mikey!" Aki burst out and grinned. "Why did you do that?"

"Just for fun," Michelangelo said and giggled. "I'm surprised that he didn't chase me like he normally does. Raph doesn't like to be teased much."

"And that is why you're doing it so much," Donatello and commented dryly. "Because you wouldn't dare to do this either to Master Splinter or Leonardo."

"Leonardo maybe, Master Splinter definitely not," Michelangelo said and laughed. "He would just beat me with his cane hehe."

"However if neither Leonardo nor Raphael are in the lair, we better give them a call," Donatello said and therefore changed the subject. "They need to get back here in time, so we can prepare ourselves for our next strike on Rex. However it is not wise of them to leave the lair all of a sudden. Why would they do that?"

"I don't know," Aki commented and then trailed off.

Aki recalled the expression on Leonardo's face as he had gazed upon the entrance to the bedroom. Could this mean that Raphael had discovered that she and his brother had been together? At some point Aki didn't hope that she was correct in her new suspicion. After all; living together with the four turtle brothers for almost a month, had showed her that Raphael and Leonardo commonly was having conflicts though she didn't know exactly why it was like that.

"They are hopefully together though," Aki added.

"Don't know what would be the most dangerous situation for them though being alone or together," Michelangelo said with a big grin.

"Bonehead," Donatello said and turned around to find the drinking glasses. "Are you going to call them Mikey?"

"In a minute," Michelangelo nodded and went to the oven. "I need to take the pizza out first. Otherwise the dinner would be ruined."

"Ah we don't want that," Aki smiled and helped to place the plates on the dinner table. "After all I have been hearing so good things about this famous pizza."

Donatello began to laugh at her words and then received a wet towel in the face from his youngest brother.

___

Raphael was leaning on the cement ledge, staring down at the rain-swept street below when he heard him approach. There had gone many hours since Raphael had left the lair, but he hadn't bothered to return home. Neither did he bother to turn around to face him. He knew who it was. His presence was all too familiar. Raphael held back the urge to shoot some sadistic remark at him. Though he felt a great sorrow in his heart, he didn't want to fight right now, but Raphael didn't like the fact that he had been followed.

He approached with caution, probably expecting that the tempered turtle would blow up at him for showing up here.

Rightly so, Raphael was a turtle who valued his privacy above all. And after Raphael had disappeared from the lair it shouldn't be a surprise to him that Raphael wasn't seeking his company. Raphael felt annoyed by his presence and wanted to shot at him to get the shell back to the lair. The red-masked turtle needed some time to think, and he didn't want his brother to breath down his neck while doing so.

"You're okay?" he asked.

"Fine," Raphael mumbled. It was the first exchange of words since yesterday afternoon where they had departed to sleep for the night. Apparently for older brother to sleep with Aki! Raphael could tell that he wasn't sure what to say, and it somehow amused him. He was walking on eggshells, trying not to say anything that might set his brother's temper off. Pathetic, that Raphael could see it so easily. And pathetic, that he had to be so careful. But they both understood. Raphael had left the lair as he wanted to be alone. His brother was pushing him just by showing up here.

"What happened, Raph?" he asked. "Why are you so upset?"

"None of your business Leo," Raphael shot back. At some point he had suspected that it was only a matter of time before he had to talk about his reactions to what he had seen in Leonardo's room, but he wasn't ready to fight with him about it. After all Raphael wasn't even sure how hard he felt about this betrayal.

Leonardo caught his breath, like he was going to snap back at him, but he didn't. "What is it about her that is bothering you?" he asked quietly.

"Shut up, Leo," Raphael glared. His words were just as sharp as they would've been if he'd yelled them. Maybe more so, because he was so calm, so balanced. Raphael hated it more than anything. He hated that he was always so calm.

"Well, what is it, Raph? It isn't a secret that I love her. It worries me that it upsets you so much"

Raphael turned around to face him with anger sparkling in his eyes. "Look, Leo, I do _not_ need you to worry about me, okay?" Raphael yelled, jabbing his finger into Leonardo's chest.

Raphael spun and left, leaving Leonardo standing at the ledge, half-wishing his older brother would follow him. On the other hand his presence had given him a serious urge to kick his ass. And somehow Raphael was aware of the fact that he only had himself to blame for this confusion. Aki had never directly indicated that she had been interested in him. He had been building illusions for himself, but it was hard to admit. Instead it was easier to blame the one who held the cause for all his problems; Leonardo.


	29. The calm before the storm

A/N: Hey all. I'm sorry for not being able to update during the last year. A lot of things have been going on in my life, taking my mind away from my story. My job situation have changed, I was married in March with my beloved boyfriend. Then I became a mother in the beginning of May. A lot of stuffs have been happening for me indeed. I have dreamt about the turtles at nights during the period. I have been feeling the urge to come back to the story and finish it. Don't know what the hell is going to happen after I get done with this story, but I have to finish it. It deserves that much both for my trusting readers and for me. Please enjoy…

Leonardo gave a small shake of his head in disbelief before he pressed the secret code to the entrance of the lair. Somehow Raphael had shocked him. His furious brother hadn't given him any information about why he was bothered about his relationship with Aki. Leonardo heaved a huge sigh, before taking his cell shell from his belt. With a fast beating heart, he chose to send a text message to the red masked turtle in hope that he wouldn't be stubborn enough not to read it. The message was clear. Leonardo wanted to tell Raphael that he was sorry for hurting him for some unknown reason, but that Raphael needed to come back, as they had to prepare themselves for the upcoming battle with Rex. Leonardo walked into the lair with slow steps, making himself aware of the surroundings.

As far as he could hear, his family was gathered in the kitchen and a small unsatisfied growl from his own stomach told him that it was because of the lovely scent of Michelangelo's famous pizza. They were all in there laughing and having fun. Master Splinter's health seemed to be improving. His face was warm again and the eyes were glowing with life. Even a joke from Michelangelo made their father brighten in a wry smile. Leonardo took this sight into relief as he had been concerned about his father's condition after Rex's latest attack on him. Donatello was sitting at the dinner table, finishing probably the last notes on his preparations towards the upcoming fight. Michelangelo was standing next to Aki, bending down to take the pizza out from the oven. However Aki immediately turned her head towards the door opening, as he walked into the room, asking him a silent question which he answered by shaking his head slightly.

"Good afternoon my son, you just came in time for the lovely dinner that your brother has made for us," Master Splinter said without turning his head towards him. "Where have you been Leonardo?"

Both of them were aware of the fact that the old rat exactly knew which of his sons who had arrived in the room even without turning his head around to see for himself. As he had taught his sons, it was by sensing the small aspects within a person that would reveal their presence. Master Splinter was both sensing Leonardo's soul near him, but he also used his hearing abilities as all of his sons had a special way of moving, though it might have been impossible to notice by the common people.

"I'm sorry Master, but I had to find Raphael. He left the lair suddenly," Leonardo said truthfully.

"I see," Master Splinter nodded and raised his eyes to meet his oldest son with a serious look. "And why did he leave the lair, Leonardo?"

Leonardo considered how to answer the question. At one point his honour demanded him to answer his Sensei with the truth and on the other side Leonardo still felt an obligation to Raphael. He knew that his tempered brother was keeping his feelings close and didn't want anyone to know about his emotions. Leonardo turned his gaze briefly toward Aki, who smiled comforting back at him. Somehow it gave him the courage to continue as he knew that she was standing with him and supporting him.

"I actually don't know the exact reason," Leonardo then said with a dark voice. "However I know that he probably left because of me and Aki."

Master Splinter's eyebrows rose in surprise for two seconds, then his expression went back to normal. The Sensei followed his oldest student walking with determent steps towards the woman; he loved, seizing her hand in silence. The warmth glow in her eyes told the old rat more than a thousand words, and he nodded in satisfaction as he finally saw happiness again in Leonardo's spirit.

"Wow, so you and Leo are a couple now?" Donatello said while he raised his head from his papers. "That is truly awesome."

"Congrats might be in order for you, because you sure are lucky," Michelangelo said with a bride smiled on his face. "We have all just waited for this to happen though."

"Thanks," Leonardo said gratefully and then turned his head towards his father. "If it is fine with you, Sensei. I won't do anything that can hurt our family."

Aki stroke Leonardo's arm softly while she laid her head comforting on his shoulder. She suddenly felt a bit scared of the old rat's answer. She knew that it was important for Leonardo to be insured that his father and teacher approved of their relationship, as Leonardo was a person, who was dedicated about his family and very concerned about whether it was the right thing to do. Master Splinter suddenly got a glint of sadness in his eyes and he turned his eyes toward the young Asian woman and his beloved son.

"Our secret, our traditions have always been hiding ourselves from the world, living together down here in peace for all humans. It isn't easy for a human to decide to live her with us. We live down in the sewers where it isn't exactly the flower you smells. Though we have made a good home for ourselves, many would find this place like a prison. I have tried to prevent my sons from the thinking that they would find someone special in life…"

Both Michelangelo and Donatello turned their eyes towards their father and listened carefully to his words as he continued: "We are mutants, living freaks and monsters in this world. Many would rather make experiments on us, than leave us alone. Many wouldn't understand what we really are. We have made some good friends in humans that we trust, but I was certain that love would never occur between a human and one of my sons, so therefore I made strict rules against it to prevent my children from being hurt by love that can be so wonderful and yet so painful."

Master Splinter signed and his eyes became even darker. "I thought I made the right choice by forbidden my son to have feelings for you, Aki. However as the days went by, I realised that I wasn't saving my son, I was destroying him. With this realisation I could no longer justify why it should be better for Leonardo to deny his love for you. He would probably be able to survive a broken heart than to live with you, young woman, without being able to confide his deep feelings for you."

Aki smiled happily at the old rat. However, Splinter was far from over with his explanation. "Nevertheless there are a lot of matters to concern. Not concerning my son, but you Aki. You are not even eighteen yet. If you think about it carefully, then do you see your future with my son ten years from now? I have no problem with your relationship, but please think about this before it gets too serious."

Aki nodded silently. She didn't want to answer the rat at this point though she could feel Leonardo's intense eyes looking at her, begging her to tell his Sensei that of course she was her future with him. She was aware that she was unable to answer Master Splinter's question at this point. The old rat's eyes softened with compassion as he noticed the confusion his question had coursed her. He remembered how it was to be young and uncertain about one's future.

"No one expects you to know what you want from life at this point, my dear girl," the wise rat answered with a wry smile. "Just promise me that you both will think clearly about this matter."

"We will, Sensei," Leonardo responded with a firm voice.

"Well let's eat, shall we?" Michelangelo asked and giggled. "It seemed a little too serious for me. Let us enjoy the biggest enjoyment of all; the best pizza in this world. No one can ever…"

Michelangelo paused as he heard footsteps coming from the door and all the heads turned to see Raphael. The red masked turtle didn't have any expression that revealed what he was thinking. He slowly turned his head towards his oldest brother and for a brief second his eyes burned with rage, before turning into stone. Master Splinter quickly rose from his chair and walked towards his tempered son.

"It is nice to see you back my son," he greeted with a calm voice. "Please join us for dinner. You need the strength to fight our enemy tonight."

"I know. It is the only reason why I'm here," Raphael growled and placed himself next to his master; opposite Leonardo and Aki.

"This isn't the time for anger and hatred, my sons," Master Splinter began, as he placed himself on his chair. "This is a time to unite our powers to fight against our strong opponent. We must not fight amongst ourselves but work together as a team. You are brothers. The strength lies in our family bonds. You most never forget that."

"I don't Master," Raphael burst out sharply and then turned his eyes at Leonardo. "At least I don't."

"Please don't start," begged Donatello and stopped Leonardo from answering his tempered brother. "We have a lot of things to prepare and little time in doing so."

"Indeed we have bro, but now we must eat while it is still hot," said Michelangelo with a bride smile, as he took the first bite of his pizza.

The joyful outburst that came from Michelangelo made most of them smile. However there were two persons around the table who wasn't joyful at all. Raphael gaze was so intense that it was impossible for Leonardo to ignore. Aki gazed worried at the two brothers, and then turned her eyes towards master Splinter, who was merely looking calmly back at her. She could see that the old rat was certain that his sons were able to put their indifferences aside when they were going to battle. She hoped that it was true.

The meal went on in silence. Every man was thinking for themselves. For most it was concerns about the near upcoming battle, for some it was despise for sitting together with persons that they couldn't take at the moment and for one, it was a question on how on earth he was going to make it to level 22 in the "Monster Blast" game. Michelangelo gave a little shake of his head. He had tried so many times to get to that level only to be killed in the last end of level 21. It irritated him greatly as he had a strong suspicion that he wasn't far from his goal.

When Master Splinter saw that most of them were finished with their meal, he gazed upon his family. "I want Leonardo to operate the mission."

"But Sensei," Raphael began to protest, only to receive a firm rejecting look from his master.

"Silent!" the old rat ordered and continued. "Leonardo has the best skills to lead this operation and we are NOT going to argue on this Raphael."

Raphael quickly removed his eyes from his Sensei, but most of them noticed the dark look in the eyes of the red masked turtle. If eyes could kill, then Raphael would have a lot of deaths on his conscience. Master Splinter decided that he wouldn't take the discussion with Raphael at this point, but he had to talk with Raphael about respect for his sensei's decisions.

"Donatello, have you finished your task with the belts?" the old rat asked and turned his head toward his most brilliant son.

"Yes I have," Donatello answered and his eyes turned to Aki. "If you are willing to test it, Aki?"

"Sure. What do you want me to do?" Aki asked curiously.

"I want you to make your wind blow against me," Donatello said and then continued explaining for his family. "I have been thinking about that this wind attack, Rex is able to beat us with just using that attack against us as it blows us away from her and might damage us, if we get thrown into a wall for instance. These belts have the advantage that they are able to turn the strong wind to the sides instead of hitting us directly. Let me demonstrate out in the open area."

They followed Donatello out from the kitchen into the big area with the lake. The purple masked turtle placed himself in front of the lake while he pressed on the small green button on the brown leather belt.

"Now please attack me Aki," he then ordered the young woman.

"Hehe, blow him into the lake," added Michelangelo and giggled.

Aki smiled and then turned the palm of her hand against the genius turtle. The strong air flew from her arm towards the turtle. She had on purpose not made the wind blow very strong as she didn't have any intentions of hurting Donatello. However; the purple masked turtle stood stern at his place, not moving an inch from his spot.

"Was that all?" he asked with a little mocking smile.

"No, I can give you more, if you like," Aki said with a bright smile, looking forward to the small test, he was giving her.

"Then give me the best, you got," Donatello taunted dryly.

Aki turned her hand towards him yet again, this time she was increasing the power in the wind blow. Donatello wasn't moving at all.

"Hihi," Michelangelo continued to laugh behind her.

At this point; Aki raised one of the eyebrows, gazing challenging upon the purple masked turtle. He returned her gaze calmly, sure in his mind that she was unable to throw him away. Aki felt her spirit and her air power flowing within each other, connecting to a deep and powerful bond. Then she sent out a wind blow so strong that the others behind her could feel the strong waves. The powerful wind blow flew with fast speed against its target, only to be cast away to the sides, leaving Donatello out of harm's way.

"Amazing," Aki said impressed. "This wind attack I made was stronger than Rex would ever do it as I use my skills of the Air Element to increase the power in the attack, and it didn't harm you at all."

"Nope," Donatello said and gazed upon his family with pride in his face. "I have been working on this for a long time. Now we should be safe from that attack. I have made a belt for each of you."

"That sounds awesome Donny," Michelangelo said and then added with expectation. "Oh shell, I can't wait to see the look of Rex's face, when she discovers that she can't use her wind attack."

"You still have to be careful though," Master Splinter reminded his students. "She is still able to take the weapons from your hands and use it against you. Even the belts, she can remove from you."

"I have been thinking about that as well Sensei. As I recall, Rex have to say the words to make the things appearing in her hands, so I have made this injection which will make her tongue swallow in her mouth so it will be hard for her to say anything."

"You are pure evil sometimes Donny," Raphael remarked gloomily and then added with a wicked smile. "I like it".

"Do you have more inventions for our battle against her?" Leonardo asked his younger brother.

"No that's all," Donatello replied. "I can't do anything to prevent her from using her fire abilities, only Aki is able to do that."

"Okay, Aki explained her plan to us earlier, so we all know what to do," Leonardo said with a firm voice as he turned his eyes towards his brothers. "We need to gather the flutes from Rex's men before engaging her."

"We know that Rex is still holding the flute of the dragon, the tiger, the ox, the pig, the sheep and the rooster in her possession. She has divided the flutes among her men. However; she has been keeping the strongest one, the flute of the dragon, for herself."

"Does dragons still exist?" Michelangelo asked wondering.

"No one really knows," Aki answered frankly. "I have seen magical creatures that normally existed in old legends. However; dragons haven't been seen alive for centuries."

"We have to collect all the flutes and seal the door to the rooftop, where Rex's apartment is, so we are sure that her men won't be able to help her."

"The minion also confided to us that it was normal practice for them to have the flutes on them, so this is a stealth operation," Donatello told them and showed small injection needles with a slight purple fluid. "This contains enough to make them sleep for 4 hours but have to be given at close hand. Hopefully we will have ended the fight in that short period of time."

"We will divide ourselves in two teams. Raphael with Donatello, and Michelangelo with me," Leonardo continued, but was cut off by Raphael.

"Why am I not surprised?" Raphael asked tartly. Leonardo decided to ignore his comment.

"We will take Rex's men down one by one. This needs to be done quickly with stealth. We have to vanish from sight immediately after we have made the attack on each one. Take them out of line of sight, take their flute and use the injection on them. No one is allowed to make a sound so they can raise the alarm."

"That sounds hard Leo," Michelangelo commented a bit nervous.

"We have trained it many times before," Splinter reminded them. "Ninjitsu is the way of cunning and you have to use your ninja skills with speed and precision, Michelangelo."

"Yeah, but this time it isn't a training session," Michelangelo mumbled. "What if it goes wrong?"

"It won't," Leonardo cut him off simply.

"Michelangelo has a point though Leo," Raphael said. "It could go terribly, if Rex is getting alarmed by her men."

"We are trained enough to avoid this," Leonardo reminded him. "If it gets too hot in the building, then we leave. But that won't happen."

"I hope you are right Leo," Michelangelo signed and then gave a wry smile. "After all I need to figure out how to get to level 22 in my "Monster Blast" game."

"Geez Mike, you stupid game freak," Raphael burst out and clapped his youngest brother on his head.

"Ouch," Michelangelo burst out and rubbed his hand on his bald head.

"Aki have to wait for our signal to show up. After all Rex are able to sense her aura from some distance and therefore she has to keep out of sight until we are ready. We have to expect that Rex will confront us at her property, and there will probably be 5-10 minutes before Aki are able to be there even with her flying abilities."

"Again a long time to be bait, bro," Michelangelo said and shivered in his shell.

"We don't have a choice here," Donatello remarked and took a deep breath. "It is so important that we only have to fight Rex with her one flute, which might as well be useless as far as we know. We have to fight Rex inside her house in order to win this fight. Otherwise Aki's plan won't work. This is a small headset Aki. It will make us able to communicate with one another over the great distance."

"Good," said Aki and grabbed the small headset. "I'm just glad that this is going to be over soon."

"I wish I was able to follow with you my sons on this dangerous task," Master Splinter said and then sadness revealed in his brown eyes. "But my strength is weak after her latest attack. I can't…."

"We know Sensei. None of us had expected that you were going with us. However we will miss you while we are away," Leonardo responded and bowed in respect for his father and master. Then he turned towards the others.

"We have to leave now. It is going to get dark soon and we need the darkness to make this operation work."

All the others nodded, and Donatello gave each of them a leather belt. Then he gave the small injection needles to his brothers and then placed the larger needle in his own belt. "I will inject the fluid that makes her tongue swallow myself," he informed. "Hopefully I will get close enough to shoot it at her."

"Wouldn't it be easier to inject this sleeping fluid into her?" Raphael asked and lifted the small needle containers in his hand.

"If you could get to touch her neck with it, then yes," Donatello nodded and then turned his head doubtful to the side. "I will be impressive if she allows us to do so. This swallow fluid is easier to handle as I can shoot it a few meters away from her."

"Then just put more sleeping fluid in it," Raphael suggested irritated.

"I have one here," Donatello said and clapped on his belt. "But I have talked with Sensei that it is going to be the last solution."

"Why?" Aki asked curiously.

"Because Rex will go into a coma if she gets such large amount," Donatello explained. "If we are able to remove her powers without using this, it would be more right of us to do so."

"Are you ready?" Leonardo asked his brother impatiently.

"Yes, I am. Let's go," Donatello said and walked towards the elevator. "We have to walk there since I haven't had time to make a new Battle Shell."

"Phww, typical," Michelangelo laughed and rushed up to his brother. "You know Donny… That is simply not good enough."

Leonardo gazed upon Aki, who was standing still, looking at them leaving the lair. He wanted to take her into her arms and say goodbye but with one look at Raphael, he knew it wasn't the right time to do so. He knew that he needed his brothers to win this fight.


End file.
